I have recently fallen in love with Kyoko Okubo's small sculptures,
delicately handcrafted from traditional japanese washi paper.
Okubo is a self taught artist who began playing with washi as a child,
and in her mid-30s began making dolls for herself. After sharing
her works with family and friends, she first exhibited them on a
sidewalk Tokyo’s Harajuku district. Since these humble beginnings,
she has gone on to show internationally and is currently represented
by Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge Massachusets.
dream world, a soft universe inhabited by gentle and enigmatic wild animals
mysteriously bonding and interacting with lovely girls and young children.
"Washi, meaning “Japanese paper”, is a crisp, sturdy material created from fibers
from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub or the paper mulberry.
While today the material is often mass-produced, it is still handmade
in rural communities throughout the country."
From an article about Okubo at American Craft Magazine.
You can also read a nice post on her work at Art Found Out.
Stay tuned for more January in Japan findings!
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