Kiyomi Okukubo

  • Lacquerware
  • Price Range Under $15,000
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  • Awards at Japan Kōgei Assoc. Exhibitions : 1

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    • Category
      Lacquerware
    • Techniques
      Dry lacquer, Maki-e, Mother-of-pearl inlay (Raden), Urushi-e
    • Based in
      Tokyo
    • Membership
      Full member, Japan Kogei Association
    Kiyomi Okukubo

    Style

    Lacquer sap is collected by making many deep cuts into lacquer tree trunks and precisely for that reason, I wish to show my respect and appreciation for this gift of nature by making the maximum use of the characteristics of lacquer, such as its strength after hardening or its deep luster. I make plain bases by pasting layers of hemp cloth onto a fine detailed plaster mold; I also make dynamic forms by the hand-twisting of ropes and non-woven fabric into which lacquer first infiltrates, and then I leave the natural hardening property of lacquer to give further free shape to my workpieces. When applying decoration, guided by the red square boxes made for the household effects of feudal lords, I repeatedly explore ways to ensure that the red texture appears as a pattern similar to maki-e (sprinkled picture decoration) or raden (mother-of-pearl inlay).

    Biography

    • 1984
      Completed the Master's Degree in the Urushi Art Course at Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts
    • 1986
      Submitted to the Lacquerware Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time
    • 1990
      Submitted to the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time
    • 1993
      Completed the Professional Training Course for Cultural Property Restoration sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs
    • 1998
      Solo Exhibition "Flower Party" (Bungeishunju Gallery, Ginza)
      “Vessels of Fragrance Today” Exhibition (Museum of Fragrance, Iwata)
    • 1999
      Overseas training for one year in Europe and North America (- 00) promoted by the Gotoh Memorial Foundation
    • 2001
      Solo Exhibition "Return from Overseas Training Commemoration Exhibition" (Bunkamura Gallery, Shibuya)
    • 2002
      Solo Exhibition "Water, Flower and Wind" (Gallery Yohaku, Nagoya)
      Solo Exhibition "Vivid" (Gallery Tanaka, Ginza)
    • 2003
      Solo Exhibition "activity" (Keio Plaza Hotel)
      Dispatched by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as overseas artist trainee for one year in London (- 04)
    • 2004
      SETAGAYA ART 2004 Exhibition (Setagaya Art Museum)
    • 2006
      Solo Exhibition "Overseas Training Report - there -" (Keio Plaza Hotel)
      "SETAGAYA ART 2006" Exhibition (Setagaya Art Museum)
    • 2008
      Solo Exhibition "version" (Gallery Tanaka, Ginza)
    • 2010
      Solo Exhibition "assort" (Nihombashi Mitsukoshi)
      "Bi no Choryu (The Tide of Beauty)" Exhibition (Bunkamura The Museum)
    • 2011
      Tainan International Treechi Art Exhibition (Taiwan)
    • 2012
      125th Anniversary Event Tokyo University of the Arts, URUSHI ART History and the Future Exhibition (The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts)
    • 2014
      Utsuwa from Kanto Exhibition (Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami)
    • 2016
      REVALUE NIPPON PROJECT: Hidetoshi Nakata’s Favorite Japanese Kogei Exhibition (Panasonic Shidome Museum)
    • 2018
      "Japanese Lacquer Work" Exhibition (Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum)
      "Lacquer Art Today 2018" Exhibition (Nihombashi Mitsukoshi)
      Solo Exhibition "texture" (Gallery Tanaka, Ginza)
    • 2019
      Solo Exhibition "Tray Bon Ban" (Gallery Okariya, Ginza)
    • 2021
      "Expressing Lacquer" Exhibition (Kanazawa Nakamura Memorial Museum)
      Solo Exhibition "Legacy" (Gallery Okariya, Ginza)
    • 2022
      The Beauty of Crafts - Metalwork and Lacquerware (ISE Foods Inc., Toyama)
    • 2023
      Solo Exhibition "Papier et URUSHI" (Gallery Okariya, Ginza)

    Awards

    • 1995
      Received the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education Award at the 12th Lacquerware Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
    • 1998
      Received the 9th Gotoh Memorial Cultural Award
    • 2003
      Selected for overseas training by the Agency for Cultural Affairs
    • 2019
      Received the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education Award at the 35th Lacquerware Traditional Kōgei Exhibition

    Public Collections

    • KIBUN Collection
    • The Museum of Fragrance, Iwata
    • Victoria and Albert Museum (London)
    • Seirenji (Hiroshima)
    • Tafu Gallery (Fujian, China)
    • Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum
    • Urazoe City Museum of Art (Okinawa)
    • Ise Foundation (Tokyo)
    View All 28 Artworks byKiyomi Okukubo