Large Contemporary Japanese Woven Bamboo Sculpture Mimura Chikuho

A contemporary hand-woven bamboo sculpture in an organic form by Japanese bamboo artist Mimura Chikuho (1973-). Named "Cloud on the Peak", the piece was made as one of his series in 2004. Entirely hand-woven in irregular plaiting, the artist challenged the traditional bamboo basket making and elevated it into modern abstract sculpture. The minimalist donut form resembles the hat-shaped cloud formed around the peak of the mountain (often seen on Fujisan in Japanese art). It displays a wonderful subtle undulation and irregularity in its organic shape, achieved by a mastery of the traditional technique. The irregular plaiting appears chaotic in its busy crossing patterns yet as a whole, the piece strangely quiet and introverted, demanding contemplation from the viewer. Signed "Chikuho" underneath in Kanji. The piece comes with its original storage paper box and a silk bag.
Provenance: Purchased from Tai Gallery/Textile Arts now (Tai Modern) in Santa Fe.
Mimura Chikuho was born in 1973 in Tokyo. He studied under Yufu Shohaku and Honda Syoryu and established himself as an independent artist in Beppu, Oita prefecture. A very similar but smaller sculpture in the same series made in 2005 is in the collection of Philadelphia Museum of Art (Accession Number: 2010-178-14.)
His work is also illustrated in Master of Bamboo Rinn page 81.