Japan is well known for its intricately woven bamboo baskets: Japanese craftsmen and farmers have been plaiting bamboo into practical containers for thousands of years. But as an exhibition at New York's Japan Society shows, a new generation of artists is using the material to create expressive, sculptural works. New Bamboo, which is curated by Joe Earle, shows bamboo which has been bent and twisted into swirling and elegant abstract shapes. The intricate craftsmanship remains, but the objects are no longer simple containers: they are works of art.
'Art bamboo is a relatively new art form,' says Earle. 'Bamboo baskets have existed in Japan since very early times. But the idea of bamboo as an art form is more recent.'
The foundations were laid when bamboo craftsmen began to 'sign' their work in the 19th century, Earle says. 'That's an important marker of artistic status in Japan. But it wasn't until the 20th century that new styles and an aesthetic began to emerge. The past 20 years have been an era of massive growth for the art.'
These new styles and aesthetics are well represented in the exhibition. New Bamboo features more than 90 works in a collection that is surprisingly diverse. Some, such as Hafu Matsumoto's Outsize Flower Basket, still reference bamboo's use for containers. By contrast, works like Kazuaki Honma's Breath 2 and his son Hideaki's Wind Sign IV are flowing, angular designs that exploit the weave and flexibility of the material. Chikuyu Uematsu's sculptures have a scientific complexity, while an untitled sculpture by Jiro Yonezawa is reminiscent of Henry Moore's work. 'The key thing about this exhibition is the many different ways that people have moved from containers to sculpture, without making the sculptures look like containers,' says Earle.
This transition was a quantum leap, Earle says. 'After the second world war, ceramic artists began to make sculptural pieces,' he says. 'Craftsmen working in bamboo followed suit. It was a big leap for them - a moment of liberation.'
Artists featured in the early part of the exhibition came from bamboo-making families, Earle says. 'They did that for a long time, and made enough money not to have to worry too much. So they decided to use their skills to make sculptural bamboo.'