MIMURA Chikuho
(b. 1973)
Mimura's career is still young. He began with ambitions to become a
classical trombonist but returned from conservatory in Germany with an
interest in working with his hands. He took a part-time job as a gardener
and made bamboo fences before returning to his studies, this time at the
Beppu Occupational School. There, he founded an association of young bamboo
artists.
After graduation, he apprenticed with Beppu artist, Yufu Shohaku, who
taught him a traditional, rustic style of basketry that incorporates roots
and whole chunks of bamboo. Mimura has used that technique to create his
own, contemporary form of sculptural vessels.
An independent artist, Mimura has chosen to sidestep Japan's public
exhibition system in favor of work on his own. He has demonstrated basket
making for public audiences in Los Angeles, Santa Fe, San Francisco, and
Naples, Florida, and was included in "The Next Generation" exhibit at the
University of Arkansas. Mimura's work is in the collection of the Ruth and
Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art.
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