N A G A K U R A K E N I C H I

Art ist Statement

Beyond my intention, a minor detail becomes the major idea and the supporting ideas begin to outshine the main idea. When working with bamboo there is a moment when the in-tricacies of the work take over. While I am perplexed by such a new sensation, I follow my attraction to the infinite field of creation. Travelling down newly exposed paths, I hope this show will be a place of new discovery. I appreciate for you taking time to view my work.

Nagakura KenichiJune, 2009

Kyou 2 2009, 4 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 13 1/2 inchesCover: Brimming 2009, 7 x 17 inches

Robs Satement

Nagakura Kenichi’s artwork is imbued with a primal energy and balance executed with a keen understanding of composition. Each piece combines classic Japanese bamboo basketry techniques with a contemporary artist’s sensibility. Nagakura’s sixth solo show at TAI Gallery will feature new art created over the past year.

Unlike many Japanese bamboo artists, Nagakura uses not only the bamboo culm, but the twisted and textured roots of the plant, as well as found pieces of driftwood. The usage of bamboo parts from both above and below the ground, Nagakura says, reveals the hidden side of things, re-minding us that the unseen is behind or beneath, nourishing the beauty that is. His work gives glimpses of this concealed world, with moments of loose transparent construction that reveal the texture and interior of the form. In a series of artwork made for this show, Nagakura says he was inspired by the rhythm found in the seven and five meter of Japanese Haiku. In these works, he created delicate con-cise forms that have the harmony of the poetry. He is pas-sionate about jazz, classical and rock music, and also strives to elicit rhythm and harmony out of bamboo. Nagakura began his career splitting bamboo for three years for his grandfather, a bamboo artisan. Once he learned the basics, he began creatively exploring and developing his own unique visual vocabulary with bamboo. Several years later he brought his work to a contemporary gallery and was given his first solo show.

Nagakura’s work is in the collections of the San Francisco

Asian Art Museum and the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture.

Unlike many Japanese bamboo artists, Nagakura uses not only the bamboo culm, but the twisted and textured roots of the plant, as well as found pieces of driftwood. The usage of bamboo parts from both above and below the ground, Nagakura says, reveals the hidden side of things, re-minding us that the unseen is behind or beneath, nourishing the beauty that is. His work gives glimpses of this concealed world, with moments of loose transparent construction that reveal the texture and interior of the form. In a series of artwork made for this show, Nagakura says he was inspired by the rhythm found in the seven and five meter of Japanese Haiku. In these works, he created delicate con-cise forms that have the harmony of the poetry. He is pas-sionate about jazz, classical and rock music, and also strives to elicit rhythm and harmony out of bamboo. Nagakura began his career splitting bamboo for three years for his grandfather, a bamboo artisan. Once he learned the basics, he began creatively exploring and developing his own unique visual vocabulary with bamboo. Several years later he brought his work to a contemporary gallery and was given his first solo show.

Tendencies 2008, 9 1/2 x 6 x 27 1/4

Contemplation 2008, 11 x 10 x 16 inches

Presence 2008, 27 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches

Play 2009, 12 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches (right)

Ensnared Form 2009, 30 x 16 x 13 inches

Ancient Figure II 2008, 14 x 6 x 15 3/4

Ray of Bamboo Light 2008, 9 x 9 x 26 inches

Intersection 2008, 7 x 5 x 19 inches

Flow 2009, 8 1/2 x 32 inches

Tusk 2009, 3 x 4 1/2 x 23 inches

Moon Flower 2008, 34 x 8 x 23 inches

Leaping Sage 2009, 6 x 10 1/2 x 13 1/4 inches

Tree Ring 2009, 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 14 inches

1952 Born in Shizuoka City, Japan1975 Studied under Grandfather1982 Solo exhibition at Gallery Takei, Numazu1985 Solo exhibition at Shin-Gifu Department Store1986 Solo exhibition at Gallery Takei, Numazu and at Shizuoka Gas Salon1988 Solo exhibition at Sapoa People, Tokyo and MOA Gallery, Nagoya1990 Solo exhibition at Umeda Hankyu Department Store, Osaka Solo exhibition at Gallery Kouki, Paris, France1991 Solo exhibition at La Richipel Surle, Bourgogne, France Solo exhibition at Gallery Kukan, Shizuoka and at Shou meido Hall, Tokyo1992 Solo exhibition at Gallery Space Ten, Tokyo Group exhibition at Gallery Yummy, Hamamatsu and at Studio Com, Kyoto1993 Solo exhibitions at Shoumeldo Hall, Tokyo; Gallery F, Gifu Gallery Space Ten, Tokyo Solo exhibition at Hokushin Gallery, Tokyo1994 Solo exhibition at Studio Com, Kyoto and at Gallery Kukan, Shizuoka Solo exhibition at Matsuya Department Store, Tokyo1995 Solo exhibition at Akasaka Yu Gallery, Tokyo; at Fujii, Numazu and Shin-Gifu Department Store1996 Solo exhibition at Isetan Department Store, Shizuoka and at Kanazawa Dept.Store Two person exhibition, Ishigami-no-Oka Open Air Museum, Iwate1997 Solo exhibition at Gallery Kasumi, Tokyo and at Axis Sapoa People, Tokyo Exhibition at German Culture Center, Tokyo1998 Solo Exhibition, Kura Gallery, Gifu and at Axis Sapoa People, Tokyo Group Exhibition, Kodaira Shomei Hall, Tokyo1999 Solo exhibition at Tai Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2000 Bamboo Masterwork”, Asia Society, New York, NY2001 Winner of Cotsen Bamboo Prize 2000 Bamboo Masterworks, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA Solo exhibition at Tai Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Bamboo Masterworks, Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu, HI Bamboo Fantasies, Tai Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

NAGAKURA KENICHI

2002 The Next Generation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR Group Exhibition, Tigerman Himmel Gallery, Chicago, IL2003 Three Views of Bamboo: Fujinuma, Nagakura, Shono; Jewish Museum, Kansas City,KS Solo Exhibition at Tai Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2004 Group Exhibition, Hand Workshop Art Center, Richmond, VA2005 Nagakura Kenichi, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Exhibited at the Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, New York, NY 2006 Power & Delicacy, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NMvv Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Art, Grinnell College, IA Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Art, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL Group Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Collaboration with Daniel Ost at Nocturne, Brussels, Belgium2007 Solo Exhibition at TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets for the Sara and David Lieberman Collection, Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ2008 New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters, The Japan Society, New York, NY Recent Bamboo Sculpture (solo), Susan Sheehan Gallery, NY, NY2009 Intertwined: Contemporary Baskets from the Sara and David Lieberman Collection, The New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM New Bamboo, Clark Center for Japanese Art, Hanford, CA Nagakura Kenichi, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

Museum Collections:

San Francisco Asian Art Museum Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture Mint Museum of Craft + Design

Back Cover: Sound of a Bamboo Flute 2009, 5 1/2 x 14 x 12 1/2 inches

Photography by Gary Mankus - Design by Brian Willmont

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