HONMA Hideaki (born 1959, Sadō)

Ryūmon II (Ripples II)

Flame-bending; irregular “comb” and matsuba-ami (“pine-needle”) plaiting

A major figure in contemporary bamboo sculpture, Honma Hideaki belongs to an important lineage of bamboo artists from Sadō Island. Trained in the studio of his uncle and adoptive father, the master Honma Kazuaki, he developed a profoundly sculptural approach to the material, based on drawing, model-making and the construction of armatures.

A finalist in the 3rd edition of the Mingei Bamboo Prize, he presents Ryūmon II (“Ripples”), a work made from madake and nemagaridake bamboo. Bent over a flame, the long bamboo elements form a taut and dynamic structure, complemented by areas of irregular “comb” and “pine-needle” plaiting. The interplay between density and transparency, surface and void, heightens the tension of the sculpture, while the urushi lacquer enhances the depth of the bamboo and the energy of its movement.