PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Since the day he scarred his thumb as a child, imitating the way artisans chopped their stalks, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV's life has had a bamboo core. While he knew he wanted to work with bamboo from a young age, he initially dedicated himself to other forms of Japanese art, such as tea ceremony, flower arranging, calligraphy and Noh dancing. His later bamboo works draw on this strong cultural substructure. Chikuunsai IV's work has crossed the world, from Sakai Municipal Machiya Historical Museum in Japan, to Musee Guimet, Paris, the TAI Modern in Santa Fe and his yearly exhibit at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. He has played an instrumental role in introducing bamboo art to the West.
