Tuesday 25 October – Thursday 28 July 2011
Tradition in the Making: Takeshi Kitamura and the Usuhata Group
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
To coincide with the exhibition, Wings of the Cicada: textiles and kimono by Takeshi Kitamura and the Usuhata Group at Daiwa Foundation Japan House, Takeshi Kitamura, one of Japan’s most eminent textile artists, spoke about his life and work. He was joined by Takeo Uchiyama who discussed the role of traditional crafts in Japan and the ‘Living National Treasure’ designation, and by Dr Rupert Faulkner of theVictoria and Albert Museum.
About the contributors
Takeshi Kitamura
Takeshi Kitamura was born in Kyoto in 1935. He began weaving in his teens and later set up his own business producing cloth for religious garments and obi sashes. He has a long-standing interest in figured fabrics, and has recreated two ancient techniques, ra (gauze-like weave) and tate-nishiki (warp-faced compound weave). For his achievements, he has twice been recognised as a ‘Living National Treasure’ by the Japanese Government, firstly in 1995 and then in 2000. He is a permanent trustee of the Japan Handicrafts Association. His work is included in the collections of the National Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo and Kyoto, the Gunma Prefectural Museum of Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Takeo Uchiyama
Takeo Uchiyama received an MA from Kyoto University in 1965 and joined the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto in the same year. He served as Deputy Director of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo from 1994 to 1998 and was then was appointed as Director of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. He retired in March 2005. He specialises in Japanese paintings and crafts, especially textiles, both traditional and contemporary.
Dr Rupert Faulkner
Dr Rupert Faulkner (chair) is Senior Curator, Japan, in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). Born in Yokohama and educated in Britain, he graduated from Cambridge University in 1977. He joined the V&A in 1984 and has been responsible for the V&A’s collections of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Japanese ceramics and contemporary Japanese crafts. He has also worked extensively on the V&A’s Japan-related events programmes, most recently as curator of the Japanese Folk Crafts section of the V&A’s International Arts and Crafts exhibition (2005).