Tag: bamboo

Tanabe Chikuunsai IV

Twisted Bamboo Sculptures by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV

Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV earned a degree in sculpture from Tokyo University of the Arts and trained in bamboo crafts at a school in Beppu on the island of Kyushu, Japan.

Chikuunsai IV produces twisting installations of woven bamboo that meld into their environment’s floor and ceiling. To bend the durable material he first moistens each piece to achieve the perfect curve, and often recycles the same pieces of bamboo for future installations. In 2017 the artist constructed a site-specific piece titled “The Gate” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work used tiger bamboo that had been used ten times, including in a piece shown at the Guimet Mueseum in Paris.

“Technique and skill and spirit are important, My parents taught me that this spirit is more important than technique. Using bamboo, I try to keep the spirit and tradition in my heart as I create new work.” -Tanabe Chikuunsai IV

Hee Chan Kim

Sculptures by Hee Chan Kim, Wood Strips, Bamboo and Copper Wire

Heechan Kim was born in 1982 in Seoul, Korea, and received a BFA in Metal Craft from Seoul National University in 2006. Soon after, he immigrated to the United States to continue studying art. His interest in materials led him to study wood to broaden his horizons. He got an MFA in furniture design and wood working from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010. By eliminating the limitations of making functional objects, Kim is continuing his art practice in sculpture in Brooklyn, NY.

Ikebana Basket

Ikebana Basket (Gourd Shaped), Late Meiji Period, Split Bamboo with Tied Bamboo Rope, Japan

The Meiji Period of Japan extended from Ocotber 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. This period corresponded to the reign of Emperor Meiji after 1868 to his death. It was the first half of the Empire of Japan during which Japanese society moved from being an isolated feudal society to its modern form, affecting social structure, politics, economy and foreign relations.

Ikeban is a the Japanese art of floral arrangement. Sculptural art baskets have been used since the inception of ikebana over 500 years ago to be one of the primary ikebana containers for the craft’s practitioners.  They range from randomly woven nested baskets to more formal, tailored pieces.

Noriyuki Saito

Noriyuki Saito, Bamboo Insects

Capturing anatomical essences with uncanny skill, Japanese artist Noriyuki Saito constructs life-sized insects using bamboo. The natural material’s versatility lends a surprisingly wide range of colors and textures to each creature. And although the first impression is of insects that are ready to crawl or fly off the page, Saitoh engages a thoughtful process of paring down each bug to its essential forms that give the impression of life.

As the artist writes on his website, “Since we are not preparing specimens and replicas, we strictly measure the [overall] dimensions and prioritize the appearance, impressions, features, and senses rather than proportions being created exactly…reality as a work is born if you thin out the elements and leave room to imagine.”

Pearl Buck: “Each Name Signified One Whose Wealth Is From the Earth”

Photographer Unknown, ( The Way Through the Bamboo)

“And from that time on the boys were no longer called Elder and Younger, but they were given school names by the old teacher, and this old man, after inquiring into the occupation of their father, erected two names for the sons; for the elder, Nung En, and for the second Nung Wen, and the first word of each name signified one whose wealth is from the earth.”
― Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth

Kawashima Shigeo

Four Sculptures by Kawashima Shigeo, Sliced Bamboo Held Together with  Cotton Twine.

Top to Bottom: “Ring” at the Kennedy Center;  “Universal Circle”, 2008; “Dancing to the Sky”, 2003:  Model for Funabashi Shore Park Exhibition, 1999

The Japanese have a long and deep relationship with bamboo, and their culture has produced the most beautiful art in this medium. Shigeo Kawashima’s sculptures take bamboo as an artistic medium to a new level.