| Traveling to France for the first time in 4 years reminded me how rewarding it is to investigate basketry wherever I go. In Paris, we visited Gallery Mingei, the prime European gallery featuring contemporary Japanese basketry artists. I love visiting this gallery and I subscribe to its newsletters.
Philippe Boudin who runs the gallery, along with his daughter Zoé Niang, greeted us warmly and took us through the current exhibit with several spectacular Jiro Yonezawa sculptures in dyed red bamboo.
Also featured were works by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, who has become internationally famous for his huge installations of Tiger bamboo featured in major museums worldwide including the Asian Art Museum in SF in 2019 where he also taught workshops. His more intimate works are very different, refined, conceptually intriguing, and technically exquisite.
Works by other artists included in the exhibit were equally beautiful. Philippe Boudin has been influential in promoting Japanese basketry in France. He collaborated in the production of The Art of Bamboo in Japan (Fendre L’Air) at Musée du Quai Branly.
He also co-sponsored the first Mingei Award with the Musée Guimet in 2021. Tanabe Chikuunsai IV was selected from among the 11 exhibiting artists. The 2nd Mingie Award, which will honor two of the exhibiting artists, is on view at the Gallery from September 5-10, 2023, in partnership with Parcours des Mondes.
YONEZAWA Jiro, Pillar, Mandake bamboo and dyed urushi lacquer, c. 100 cm H.
YONEZAWA Jiro, Red Fissure, Mandake bamboo, cane, Urushi lacquer, 39H x 56 x 50 cm
TANABE Chikuunsai IV, Wings, Mandake bamboo, rattan, urushi lacquer. 132 x 24, 28H cm
TANABE Chikuunsai IV, Decayed Bamboo, hobichuiku and kurochiku bamboo, rattan, bamboo root, urushi lacquer, 70.5 x 36 x 45H cm.
From Paris I traveled to a much quieter Rambouillet where I spent two weeks with a dear friend, just enjoying living her French life.
I had previously googled “French basket makers near Rambouillet” and reached out to Pascale Germain. The visit to her studio was a highlight of my trip. Pascale is a charming and innovative basket maker, teacher, and art therapist. She exhibits with the respected AAART group.
She makes both utilitarian and sculptural objects, working primarily in willow and some cane, as most French basket makers do. I noticed on her website that there was something intriguing and familiar about her work, something that resonated with me.
It turns out that she too was influenced by Japanese basket makers, having spent a month in Beppu in Ōita Prefecture. There are little touches of Japan in her work, which for me, makes them stand out. The pieces she showed us were mostly large commissions both sculptural and utilitarian including several lampshades. Intrigued by my flower knot pieces, she allowed me to do a quick demo and even tried her hand at it.
I went home with nine beautiful flowers made of willow that she had shaved into undulating strips with a pencil-sharpener type device. How clever! My new basketry friend now knows about NBO, my local guild, and the Contemporary Basketry Blog, and we will definitely stay in touch.
Pascale Germain trying a Japanese flower knot in her lovely studio.
Pascale Germain, Conque, cane and tortuous hazel, 40cm diameter x 1 meter H
Pascale Germain, Seconde Vie, deer antler, rattan and splint rattan, 30 x 25cm
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