THE ARTISTS | ACHIEVEMENTS | PUBLICATIONS
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Textural Space is an exhibition of the following artists: Machiko Agano, Tetsuo Fujimoto, Studio Kobayashi (Naomi and Masakazu Kobayashi), Shigeo Kubota, Kyoko Kumai, Asako Ishizaki, Harumi Isobe, Chika Ohgi, Koji Takaki, Chiyoko Tanaka, Yoshiko Tanabe. There are 29 works in the main body of the exhibition, many of which are made up of more than one unit. Much of the work is three-dimensional, the artist attempting, through the work, to describe space without containing it.
The materials are varied, from stainless steel to silk and many of the techniques employed are of the artist’s own devising; for example the ‘grinded’ fabrics of Chiyoko Tanaka using the earth and its surface to create the patina and colour of the cloth. It can also be new ways of using the old, for example Shihoko Fukumoto’s beautiful and intense version of the traditional shibori technique as can be seen in her piece ‘Milky Way’. Alternatively Chika Ohgi, using the most traditional of Japanese techniques to make her paper, creates extraordinary silent environments.
The Japanese pre-eminence in textile art is based on a long and highly respected tradition. It is from this secure foundation that they are ables to experiment and innovate, creating contemporary works of unsurpassed technical skill that are breath-taking and in many cases, quite staggering. From linen to stainless steel, cotton to concrete, these artists believe that textiles offer an unlimited opportunity for creative expression. As a result, they are able to fill large, sometimes vast spaces, with two and three dimensional works that challenge pre-conceived notions the visitor may have of textile art.
The artists brought together for TEXTURAL SPACE are the most celebrated group ever assembled for an exhibition in the United Kingdom. Their fame is not restricted to the art world, their celebrity has grown through the numerous commissions they have received from corporate bodies and private institutions in Japan.
Examples of their corporate commissions include: Kyoto Garden Palace, Kyoto; Pentel House, Tokyo; Canon House, Kanagawa; Asahi Plaza Hotel, Osaka; Hanshin Racecourse, Hyogo; Kurita Building Co, Kyoto.
The artists are represented in all the foremost public art collections in Japan including The Museum of Modern Art and The National Museum of Art. During the past few years, their fame has begun to spread throughout the world and they are also represented in major museums and galleries in USA, Australia, Poland and Switzerland.
Telos Publishers are producing a series of monographs on textile artists, two of which feature artists from Textural Space. The first is Chika Ohgi with an essay by Keiko Kawashima, this monograph is available from November 2001. The second artist is Chiyoko Tanaka with an essay by Textural Space curator Lesley Millar, this will be published in March 2002
The Textural Space catalogue featuring all of the artists above is available to order from this site [click here]
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