Jiro Yonezawa
Bamboo artist
Saiki, Japan
Weaving cultural histories with bamboo
- Jiro formally studied bamboo craft in Beppu, Japan
- He combines traditional Japanese techniques and Native American materials
- He grows some of his material on his own land
Jiro Yonezawa began his training in 1980 through an intensive, one-year bamboo craft programme. He initially focused on crafting items such as flower baskets, serving trays and handbags. However, the more he learned about bamboo as a material, the more he saw the potential to create pieces beyond everyday-use items. Jiro moved to the USA with his family, intending to farm, but his bamboo work grew. "I was particularly interested in Native American weaving and material selection," he explains. "This led to me integrating materials such as roots to my works." Jiro describes how his practice evolved by combining Japanese techniques, his own ideas, and different materials. “In Japan, bamboo craft is more or less fixed. But in America, in a really free way, I could imagine new things and then actually make them,” he says.
INTERVIEW
I use colour to bring out the surface of my works more. If the outer surface is the same colour as the inside, it can look flat somehow. I usually colour the inner surface black and give the outside a shiny finish to create depth.
A contemporary art piece is one object. In contrast, a flower basket may change according to how it is used and depending on how the flowers are arranged within it. Even if there are no flowers inside, it can exist as its own object to look at.
I am exploring a range of approaches right now. For example, I am trialling combining bamboo with stone to make an open stone wrapping for flower arrangements. I am also experimenting with making very open-woven pieces that can be hung on a wall.
Years ago I was showing a piece in Taipei, and because I knew that red and white were celebratory colours in China and Japan, I decided to use a bit of red in the piece. That is how I started using red, and have continued to this day.
Jiro Yonezawa
Bamboo artist
Saiki, Japan
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Saiki, Japan
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Japanese, English
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