Visionary (Sora o miageruhito)
Artist
Nagakura Kenichi
(Japanese, 1952-2018)
Date1999
CultureJapanese
MaterialsBamboo (madake variety); irregular plaiting
DimensionsH. 20 in x W. 15 1/2 in x D. 16 in, H. 50.8 cm x W. 39.4 cm x D. 40.6 cm
Credit LineLloyd Cotsen Japanese Bamboo Basket Collection
Object number2006.3.527
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsDecorative Arts
On View
Not on viewNagakura Kenichi treats bamboo as a purely sculptural medium. He creates unconventional, organic forms, sometimes accented with pieces of found wood and coated with finishes of his own creation. Nagakura spent years learning traditional bamboo techniques from his grandfather before innovating his own style. Bamboo, says the artist, is an ideal material to express nature: “Bamboo can be either delicate like a spider web or solid as stone, thus embodying the natural cycles of the world.”*
*Nagakura Kenichi, Cultural News (2010).
approx. 1880-1920
approx. 1925-1980
approx. 1925-1950