TASHIMA Shiun (born 1989, Kumamoto)

Fukura “Roundness”

Yotsume-ami, square plaiting

Trained in Kyōto and later under Tanabe Chikuunsai III and Chikuunsai IV, Tashima Shiun belongs to a young generation of artists who extend Japanese bamboo basketry into a fully sculptural form of expression.

In Fukura, a rounded, contained form unfolds in yotsume-ami, a regular openwork plaiting technique that creates a surface of great delicacy. Between outer envelope and inner architecture, circular lines and lacquered accents, the work creates a subtle balance between geometric rigor and organic softness, like a fullness of emptiness.