Japan Society will present “New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters,” the first exhibition, inside or outside Japan, to focus exclusively on nonfunctional bamboo works of art, October 4⁊anuary 11 at Japan Society Gallery.
“New Bamboo” features 23 innovators, old and young, who fully exploit the tension between traditional skills and new forms of expression. Ranging from ethereal, computer-designed filigrees, through dramatic wall pieces to angry-looking, dirt-encrusted tangles and anthropomorphic, sexually charged sculptures, the 88 works on display demonstrate awesome technique, meticulous attention to detail and extraordinary creativity.
To extend the exhibition beyond the gallery, Japan Society has commissioned a large-scale installation piece from Kawana Tetsunori to be displayed in the building’s public spaces alongside bamboo works by American artist Stephen Talasnik, conceived as a response to Kawana’s piece and creating an international dialogue about this extraordinary material.
In contrast to other recent bamboo exhibitions, “New Bamboo” is devoted to living artists and sculptural work, and celebrates Japanese bamboo’s emergence as an international phenomenon. Offering a comprehensive overview of a new wave of artists, it shows how they have reached beyond the established boundaries of their chosen medium, abandoning traditional functionality in favor of a purely sculptural approach while creating masterpieces that are frequently even more technically accomplished than works of the previous generation.
Bamboo is among East Asia’s most abundant natural resources, and practical baskets have been made in Japan for thousands of years. It was not until the Sixteenth Century, however, that these objects came to be widely appreciated as works of art, and Japanese bamboo artists only started to sign their creations in the 1870s. Today, this young tradition has entered a golden age of craftsmanship and innovation, much of it sustained by the enthusiasm of American collectors.
“New Bamboo” begins with pieces created for the elegant lobby space on the first floor of Japan Society’s landmark building. “Enclosure,” commissioned by Japan Society, is an installation by Kawana Tetsunori (b 1945). Kawana is famous for his large-scale bamboo works that have graced several world capitals, including most recently the massive piece displayed at New York Botanical Garden’s “Kiku” exhibition in 2007. Made of split American bamboo from Georgia and installed in and around one of the clusters of living bamboo growing in a pond on the first floor, “Enclosure” is inspired by the traditional Japanese kakoi, a primitive prototype for the intimacy of the classic teahouse.
Displayed next to Japan Society’s waterfall, which descends from the second to the first floor, are a series of works by American artist Stephen Talasnik (b 1954). Best known for drawings that depict imaginary structures, Talasnik has recently started to work in bamboo and basswood. His approach, with its roots in Western architectural and engineering drawing †itself often inspired by natural forms †makes an intriguing comparison with Kawana’s ikebana-based aesthetic.
Following these site-specific works, the main exhibition is organized into four sections: From Vessel to Sculpture, Regional Masters, Individual Voices and New Directions.
Japan Society is at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues. For information, www.japansociety.org or 212-832-1155.
