Bamboo Cluster (Muratake)
Artist
Nagakura Kenichi
(Japanese, 1952-2018)
Date2001
PeriodHeisei period (1989-2019)
CultureJapanese
MaterialsBamboo (madake variety), selected techniques: irregular plaiting
DimensionsOverall: H. 9 1/2 in × W. 27 5/8 × D. 22 15/16 in (24.1 cm × 70.2 cm × 58.3 cm)
Credit LineLloyd Cotsen Japanese Bamboo Basket Collection
Object number2006.3.571
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsDecorative Arts
On View
Not on viewMarkingsunsigned
More InformationNagakura 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).