KIbe Seiho Catalog

K IB E SE IH O

KIBE SEIHO quit working at a gas station in1989 to pursue learning bamboo art. He was accepted into the Oita Prefectural Bamboo Craft Training Center where he studied basic basketry skills. During his school years, Kibe rose every day at 3am to practice what he had learned the previous day.

After graduation, Kibe studied under Honda Syoryu learning many additional needed techniques. A year and half later, Kibe became an independent artist. However, Japan’s post-bubble economy in the1990s made it very difficult for him to make a living.

“I almost quit being a bamboo artist several years ago,” says Kibe.

“Business was so slow. The only orders I received were very small and unchallenging. Judges at the competitions were hard on me. I seriously thought that there was no future for me as a bamboo artist. At that point, Robert Coffland and Koichi Okada visited me, convinced me not to give up, and offered to sponsor my making baskets. I decided to give myself one last chance. From that point on, what comments the judges had about my work ceased to matter. I was concerned only with how to impress Robert and Koichi with my creativity.”

Kibe’s artistic career blossomed. He won the 2004 Best of Show award at the 39th Seibu Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition. The following year Kibe won the Best of Show at the 10th national Wood and Bamboo Exhibition. That fall he won the prestigious Chairman’s Prize at the 52nd Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition. Kibe enjoyed the rare artistic achievement of winning three major prizes in a short period of time, and thus became well known in the world of bamboo artists and among members of the Traditional Craft Arts Association.

Echo of Water 2009, 71/2 x 6 x 13 inches

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Kibe’s artwork shows a fine sense of balance and proportion with a great mastery of traditional techniques. In his work one can see the superb elegance of his plaiting, pleasant rhythms, exquisite rattan knots, and his contemporary interpretation of the old traditional basket techniques. For this, his first solo show, Kibe includes earlier works, Sunset and Ocean Wind, pages 11 and 14, to show the progression of his development as an artist. Beginning of Dawn, cover and page 8, shows his signature style of combining the highly challenging Chidori (mat-plaiting with x pattern) technique with a gradation of colors. The line construction design element at the top of the basket and the undulating accent lines encompassing them add his personal touch to this traditional masterpiece.The exquisite but random spacing of rattan knotting on the rim not only shows his great skill but also gives playfulness to this very formal piece. Echo of Water on pages 2 and 5 demonstrates another of his well known and original styles. Carefully placed fine strips of bamboo laid over an inner basket play so effectively with light. When viewing the solid surface of the pleasant warm color gradation from a few inches above eye level, the outer basket becomes transparent revealing the otherwise hidden inner space.

We are proud of his achievements and are very excited that his first solo show will be here at TAI Gallery.

Koichi Okada

Echo of Water 2009, 71/2 x 6 x 13 inches (detail)

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ARTIS T STATEMENT

After my graduation work in bamboo art received much interest in1990, I decided to pursue a career as a bamboo artist. It was hard to gain momentum when beginning, however, after 15 years of perseverance, I was able to create a dialog with the bamboo. Through this conversation, my understanding of the medium deepened, which has brought me great joy. It is my pleasure to share this dialog with international audiences.

Kibe Seiho

Sprinkling Rain 2008, 101/2 x 81/2 x 13 1/2 inches

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Beginning of Dawn 2000, 15 x 14 x 7 1/2 inches (above; detail, front cover) Flight 2007, 7 diameter x 13 1/2 inches (right)

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Sunset 1994, 15 diameter x 6 1/2 inches

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Cloud Flight 2009, 13 diameter x 91/2 inches (above; detail, left)

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Ocean Wind 1995, 81/2 diameter x 13 inches (above) Bamboo Forest of Dreams 2008, 61/2 diameter x 15 inches (right)

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Bamboo Boat 2009, 8 x 15 x 1 inch

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KIBE SEIHO 1951

Born in Kusu-Gun, Oita Prefecture

1990

Graduated from Oita Prefecture Beppu Industrial Research Institute, Department of Bamboo Crafts

1991

Mayor of Oita Award, 26th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division

1992

Governor of Oita Award, 27th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division

1993

Oita-Ken Mayor’s Award, 28th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division

1994

Admitted to 29th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division

1995

Chief of the Japan Craft Association Western Branch Award, 30th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division Admitted to 42nd Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition

1996 1997

Admitted to 31st Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division Admitted to 32nd Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division Admitted to 44th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition

2002 “The Next Generation,” University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas International Art & Design Fair, New York City 2003 Hali Fair, London Antiques Chicago 2004 SOFA New York Best of Show, 39th Japan Traditional Crafts Arts Exhibition, Western Division Finalist, Cotsen Bamboo Prize 2005 SOFA Chicago “Weavers of Wonder,” Naples Museum, Naples, Florida Agency of Cultural Affairs Prize, Japan Traditional Craft Arts Wood and Bamboo Exhibition Chairman’s Award, 52nd Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition 2006 “Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Art,” Grinnell College, Iowa “Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Art,” Chicago Cultural Center, Illinois 2007 “The Next Generation,” Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California “Bamboo Masters, The Cotsen Collection,”Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California Palm Beach!, West Palm Beach, Florida 2008 Arts of Pacific Asia Fair, San Francisco The International Asian Art Fair, New York City 2009 Oita Asahi Broadcasting Prize, 44th Japan Traditional Craft Arts Exhibition, Western Division Museum Collections: Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California Denver Art Museum Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Craft Art Museum, Japan Mist 2007, 5 diameter x 17 inches (left) Mountain and River 2009, 6 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 13 inches (back cover)

TA I G A L L E R Y

1601 B Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501 505.984.1387 • www.taigallery.com