𝐍𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

Thorny Path by Yonezawa Jirō's

Yonezawa Jirō born in 1956, is from Ōita Prefecture. He has been practicing the art of bamboo for over thirty-five years.

After an apprenticeship at the Beppu vocational training center, he learned from the artist Masakazu Ono, then continued his training at the Ōita Industrial Art Research Institute. He is the only artist in this field to have stayed in the United States for eighteen years. Strong of mutual influence with the American fiber art movement, his work became more daring, giving way to sculptural works.

Since 2008, he has returned to his native village where he built his studio.

Exhibited throughout the world, his works are present in numerous American collections, both public and private.

The regenerative quality of bamboo is at the origin of its fascination with this grass with its hollow thatch. The images, sounds, sensual and emotional experiences of everyday life find a new expression in his hands to create woven sculptures. He views the process of preparing bamboo before weaving as inherently meditative. Then, the sculpture emerges vigorous and vibrant. Shape, contrast, balance and the interaction of space, color and texture are all constituent elements of his work.