Morigami Jin

In his first solo show in the United States, Morigami will showcase his delicate and innovative bamboo baskets and sculpture.

One of the most artistically gifted Japanese bamboo artists of his generation, Morigami Jin is credited with introducing a new style of basketry to his region. His work is light and open but retains a complexity that implores the viewer to investigate it. Trailing Clouds is a basket in the technical sense; however, it uses non-traditional weaving and bold colors to delineate undulating ripples of madake bamboo. In Galaxy II, Morigami uses hexagonal plaiting to create a topographically rich sculptural form. In this exhibition, Morigami takes the opportunity to play with scale – creating his classic basket designs at double the usual size and combining discrete sculptures into sprawling diptychs and triptychs.

“In bamboo art, to materialize your vision you have to keep working with the medium for many years and acquire fine skills through experience. When I start a project, I have a rough idea in mind, but it really is a joint venture between the bamboo and myself,” Morigami explains. “It could be a friendly partnership, or it could be a battle. Whichever the case may be, dialogue with the material and constant adjustments by the artist are essential to every part of the process. That is what makes bamboo art so interesting to me.”

Morigami Jin began working with bamboo professionally over 40 years ago. His parents and grandparents were bamboo artisan, so he grew up playing with the material. At age 19, he enrolled at the Oita Prefectural Bamboo Technical Training Center to learn more about working with bamboo. As a young artist he submitted his work to Nitten, the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, and in a highly unusual occurrence, was accepted without having to advance through the interim stages. Morigami has enjoyed professional success in Japan and abroad. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City.