Winter Shadows
Winter Shadows DECEMBER 1-31, 2020
As the weather gets colder and days get shorter, something very special happens in the gallery. For a brief period of time in late afternoon, works of bamboo art on view transform in the slanting rays of the low winter sun. Bamboo glows as fantastical shadows stretch across walls and pedestals. Already beautiful objects become beautiful in a different way. This winter, we celebrate the beguiling confluence of light, shadow, and Japanese bamboo art. Sometimes subtle, often dramatic, the shadows cast by the works featured in this exhibition are almost as beautiful as the works themselves. Like a skyscraper in an urban landscape at dusk, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV’s Creative City casts a trailing edge of shadow that echoes the architectural shape of the piece. Says Tanabe, “Every time my father [Japanese bamboo artist Tanabe Chikuunsai III] drove on the Hanshin Expressway near the Nakanoshima district, he would say ‘I like to drive this road. It passes by many buildings.’ Indeed, he made many sculptures in the theme of the city. When traveling through the same area, I often remember his words. Over the years, the city has evolved and modernized. I began thinking about making a series of sculptures to capture the city as it is today, rather than as it was when it inspired my father years ago. This Creative City series was born as a result. I like to see the lights from the buildings in the city while I am driving at high speed at night. The shadows this piece casts represent the light and shadow of the city itself.”
Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, Creative City, 2020, 22 x 10 x 6 in.
Though a beautiful shadow can sometimes be a happy accident, often it is a tribute to the artist’s imaginative and technical skills in regard to play of light and shadows. Endo Gen’s Evening Sky, a golden blonde basket that seems to glow under the light, casts a shadow of vibrating geometry. “I wanted to express the sky and clouds at twilight through this piece,” states the artist. “It casts vivid undulating shadows. Open weave is one of my favorite techniques because of the visual effect it creates. Depending upon the angle of the light, this piece casts a radiating shadow within and outside of the piece.” One of the most prominent contemporary Japanese bamboo artists, Morigami Jin, is already well known for making work with gorgeous shadows. With plenty of rewards and stunning pieces already behind him, this artist seems always in contemplation of the play of shadow that is a secondary, but important, aspect of his work. Whether irregularly woven, twined or hexagonally plaited, the strips of bamboo in his pieces are arranged in patterns that cast startling silhouettes when lit from any angle. The hidden, transitory shadows invoke curiosity and give the viewer a chance to participate, engage, and experience the work in a different way. Elements or characteristics, like color, that might dominate in even diffuse lighting recede with the arrival of shadows, and other qualities, like transparency, structure, and silhouette, take center stage.
Ueno Masao, Twin Bird, 2018, 21.5 x 12.25 x 4.5 in.
Yamaguchi Ryuun, Bamboo Vessel, 2017, 11.5 x 28.5 x 19.5 in.
One of my main concerns when I make my artwork is the concept of “light and shadows.� The reflection of the sun on the surface of sculptures and the shadows created are an integral part of my outdoor sculptures. Watching how the light and shadows interplay in nature often inspires me to create smaller sculptures like this.
Kawashima Shigeo, Orion, 2019, 25.5 x 12.5 x 10 in.
Endo Gen, Evening Sky, 2018, 8.5 x 15.5 x 15.5 in.
Higashi Kiyokazu, Summer Haze, 2007, 11.5 x 11 x 11 in.
Honda Syoryu, Big Wave, 2019, 8.25 x 11 x 10 in.
Kawano Shoko, Globe, 2016, 10 x 13 x 12.25 in.
I made this piece to challenge my technical abilities. Artmaking to me is the physical battle between the medium and the artist. Pieces at the end of such battle are visual records of each fight I had. How severe the battle was can be interpreted through the level of undulation of the surfaces in my work. Each side insists on their own will and way, but meets halfway at the end. What’s most important is that both the bamboo and I did the absolute best we could. The shadow of each piece vividly tells the true exchanges we had in the process.
Morigami Jin Sea of Clouds, 2019 19.25 x 18.5 x 18 in.
Nakatomi Hajime, Prism Ellipse: Clouds, 2017, 8.75 x 20.5 x 12.5 in.
Sugiura Noriyoshi, Aurora, 2020, 12.75 x 22 x 16.75 in.
When a form is successfully created, it naturally makes beautiful shadows. The shadows cast emphasize the structural beauty of this piece. I make my sculptures from the bottom up. With this piece, I decided to start with a triangle-shaped base. While I work on my pieces, sometimes the sculpture takes the form that I imagined during the initial planning, and sometimes it doesn’t. That process of materializing my vision is what I enjoy the most about being an artist.
Shono Tokuzo Blossom, 2019 16.25 x 10.25 x 10.25 in.
Tanabe Kochikusai, Toasting Glass, 2014, 15.75 x 15.75 in. Suzuki Gengensai, Untitled, Showa Period, 23.25 x 8.512.5 x 8.5xin.
Tanaka Kyokusho Open Ajiro Gourd-Shaped Flower Basket, 2009 11 x 10 x 10 in.
Watanabe Chiaki, Promise, 2017, 17.5 x 21.5 x 15.5 in.
Higashi Kiyokazu Summer Haze, 2007 madake bamboo, rattan 11.5 x 11 x 11 in. Inquire
Tanabe Chikuunsai IV Creative City, 2020 madake bamboo, rattan 22 x 10 x 6 in. Inquire
Ueno Masao Twin Bird, 2018 madake bamboo, rattan, gold powder 21.5 x 12.25 x 4.5 in.
Yamaguchi Ryuun Bamboo Vessel 2017 madake bamboo, rattan 11.5 x 28.5 x 19.5 in.
Inquire
Inquire
Kawashima Shigeo Orion, 2019 madake bamboo, lacquer, gold leaf 25.5 x 12.5 x 10 in.
Endo Gen Evening Sky, 2018 madake bamboo, rattan 8.5 x 15.5 x 15.5 in.
Inquire
Inquire
Honda Syoryu Big Wave, 2019 madake bamboo, rattan 8.25 x 11 x 10 in.
Kawano Shoko Globe, 2016 madake bamboo, rattan 10 x 13 x 12.25 in.
SOLD
Inquire
Morigami Jin Sea of Clouds, 2019 madake bamboo, rattan 19.25 x 18.5 x 18 in.
Nakatomi Hajime Prism Ellipse: Clouds 2017 madake bamboo, rattan 8.75 x 20.5 x 12.5 in.
SOLD Inquire
Sugiura Noriyoshi Aurora, 2020 madake bamboo, rattan 12.75 x 22 x 16.75 in.
Shono Tokuzo Blossom, 2019 madake bamboo, rattan 16.2 x 10.25 x 10.25 in.
Inquire
SOLD
Tanabe Kochikusai Toasting Glass, 2014 madake bamboo, rattan 12.5 x 15.75 x 15.75 in.
Tanaka Kyokusho Open Ajiro Gourdshaped Flower Basket 2009 madake bamboo, rattan 11 x 10 x 10 in.
Inquire
Inquire
Watanabe Chiaki Promise, 2017 madake bamboo, rattan 17.5 x 21.5 x 15.5 in. Inquire
For more information, contact gallery@ taimodern.com
1601 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM 87501 505 984 1387 taimodern.com