Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Basket Ikebana by Fujitsuka Shosei

A Japanese bamboo flower basket (ikebana) hand-woven by Fujitsuka Shosei (1949-) in 2008 and originally purchased from Tai Modern, Santa Fe. The basket was delicately constructed with signature thin Madake stripes in lozenge plaiting and comes with its original Otoshi (the inner water container). The artist combined lacquered stripes in different shades to create a subtly contrasting and mesmerizing pattern. The open lozenge weave leaves the basket an airy appearance that attenuate the color variations, allowing changing visuals when viewing from different angles. The rim and the base were constructed with darker bamboo and rattan and further emphasizes the contrast. The base is signed with carved signature Shosei.
Fujitsuka Shosei (born 1949) was born in Hokkaido and trained under the master bamboo weaver Baba Shodo since 1972. Designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government in 2023, Shosei is unique artist who uses bamboo as a sculptural output to explore time and space. Interested foremost in design, the artist has broken away from traditional craftsman boundaries to pioneer and elevate bamboo weaving into fine art. The artist has a lifelong passion for astronomy and cosmetology, which is evident in his work.
The basket comes with the gallery receipt and the artist's CV as shown.
For a comparable basket, see Bm0045 in the collection of National Craft Museum, Tokyo, Japan.