Kiyomi Okukubo

  • Lacquerware
Kiyomi Okukubo

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).

Membership Full member, Japan Kogei Association
  • 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)

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

  • 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)
26 artworks posted