Akari Aso
Mikai Bamboo
Bamboo artist
Beppu, Japan
Colour woven into bamboo
- Akari is based in Oita Prefecture, a region with a deep-rooted tradition in bamboo craft
- She carefully selects her bamboo directly from the mountain
- She founded her own studio, Mikai Bamboo, where she creates baskets and accessories
Akari Aso is drawn to the structural qualities and flexibility of bamboo, exporing its relationship with space. She trained in traditional weaving techniques at the Oita Prefecture Bamboo Craft Training Center, graduating in 2016. Working primarily with Madake bamboo, valued for its lightness and suppleness, Akari focuses on freeform construction, weaving intuitively and allowing the work to shift and evolve as form emerges. Her work is rooted in traditional Japanese bamboo craftsmanship, yet is not bound by any single function or style. "My interest lies in the process itself rather than the finished object," she says. Guided by an organic approach and a sensitivity to colour, Akari creates three-dimensional pieces with a distinct visual quality that highlights the remarkable versatility of the material.
INTERVIEW
I was initially drawn to the bamboo's structural qualities, flexibility and relationship with space. By learning traditional techniques, I discovered how to express my own sensibility through the material's properties.
Colour is one of the most important elements of expression for me. It has the poer to add another dimension to form and structure. I closely relate to Kandinsky's view of colour as something that directly engages the senses.
I often let forms emerge naturally through the movement of my hands without prior sketching. While my approach depends on the piece, if I do sketch, it is only after I assemble the form in my mind.
Rooted in traditional techniques, I explore three-dimensional forms that resist fixed genres. I am drawn to the ambiguous territory between craft and art, function and non-function.
Akari Aso
Mikai Bamboo
Bamboo artist
Beppu, Japan
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Beppu, Japan
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Japanese
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