Jin Morigami: Bamboo and Beyond

EVENT DESCRIPTION

wamono art is proud to announce BAMBOO AND BEYOND, a solo exhibition by Jin Morigami, one of the most prominent Japanese bamboo artists of our time. Structured around the artist’s two signature series of Nawame ami (Twining plaiting) series and Mutsume ami(Hexagonal plating) series, this exhibition brings together for the first time in Asia the comprehensive works of Jin Morigami.

Internationally admired and collected, Jin Morigami (b. 1955, Japan) was born to several generations of bamboo-craft families. Surrounded by the bamboo crafts, it was very natural for him to start playing with and eventually crafting bamboo as young as three years old, and by now he has more than sixty years of experience. While the length of his career in bamboo art is exceptional, Morigami is known to have devoted his life to creating many varied bamboo works. Over the years, he has become one of the most skillful bamboo artists in Japan. His achievements, however, are not only in his skill, but in taking his bamboo works beyond mere craft. To pursue his aesthetic, Morigami is not hesitant to turn away from traditional styles and accept unprecedent challenges. Morigami shed the traditional bamboo styles of heaviness and thickness. He has created a completely new style which is characterized by translucency and lightness. This can be especially seen in one of his signature series, Nawame ami. Asked about this series, he mentioned that “I want to be in the state of being open and free minded towards things”. The very open spirit of Morigami towards his creation together with his skills made it possible to reach the level of fine art.

His fame reached its highest point when one of his Nawame ami works was added to the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA in 2010 as the first contemporary Japanese bamboo artist represented. However, Morigami is not driven by where his works are collected and exhibited. He is a person who is solely driven by his inner artistic interests. Morigami said “I wanted to try something completely different from Nawame ami series”. He started to work on Mutsume ami series which requires one of the most difficult techniques in bamboo weaving even for seasoned artists. He continued “when I am working on Mutsume ami series, it is like solving very difficult puzzles”. The challenge of Mutsume ami series lies in its shape. The repetition of simple geometrical patterns of Mutsume ami series looks like it easily leads to any forms the artist wishes to bring. The formation of Mutsume ami is free from any boundaries or limitations set by bamboo as a material. In reality, the formation of Mutsume ami series is very complex. Morigami describes how he works on Mutsume ami : “I start with only a rough idea of the shape, I don’t know where the bamboo takes me until I complete the work”. Despite this struggle, viewers will not see any traces of the battles between the artist and bamboo in this beautiful work – it only shows how Morigami even goes beyond the boundaries of bamboo and create forms freely, which truly reflects Morigami’s spirit.