Exhibition Dates
December 13, 2013 – April 13, 2014
Exhibition Overview
In August 2013, the 2nd Kanazawa World Crafts Triennial was grandly launched in Kanazawa, Japan, bringing together artists from Taiwan, Australia, the United States, and Japan. Through the participation and dialogue of international artists and designers, the exhibition examined the expanding ambiguity of craft within contemporary art, as well as its boundless potential in everyday life. Positioned at the intersection of tradition and modernity, the triennial sought to both preserve and innovate the values of craftsmanship.
To allow Taiwanese audiences to experience the highlights of the 2nd Kanazawa World Crafts Triennial, the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) organized the Kanazawa World Crafts Triennial: Taiwan Exchange Exhibition. Curated by Yusuke Akimoto, Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, together with Dr. Yu-Ling Lee, the exhibition emphasizes dialogue and exchange between Japanese and Taiwanese craft works, recreating the essence of the original exhibition held in Japan.
Building upon the foundation of the Kanazawa Triennial, “Craft / Art / Interweaving” further breaks away from conventional curatorial frameworks. Through re-interpretation, reconfiguration, and the strategic use of exhibition-site language, the exhibition focuses on inter-textual relationships—between artworks, between Japan and Taiwan, and between the exhibition space and the works themselves—offering audiences a renewed and distinctive aesthetic experience.
Featuring international contemporary craft creations from both Japan and Taiwan, the exhibition explores differences in craftsmanship and design philosophies between artists from the two countries. By re-engaging with the regional spatial context of NTCRI, the exhibition attempts to establish new points of reference within the spectrum of contemporary craft.
Artists and Works
The Japanese exhibits include Chikara Nagata’s hand-crafted heavy motorcycles with contemporary design aesthetics; masterful traditional craftsmanship by Living National Treasure Mamoru Nakagawa and Chozaemon Ohi X, the tenth-generation successor of the Ohi-yaki ceramic tradition; and works by Junko Narita, whose dolls, and Junki Tsuchiya, whose patterned silk gauze textiles, infuse traditional techniques with contemporary innovation. Masaya Hashimoto challenges the limits of craftsmanship through exquisitely carved ox-bone sculptures shaped like traditional hair buns. Together, these works vividly convey Japan’s enduring spirit of monozukuri—the philosophy and dedication of making.
The Taiwanese exhibits center on weaving and braiding techniques, with eight artists presenting diverse explorations between textiles and furniture that demonstrate Taiwan’s creative use of materials. Yi-Chien Chen creates a site-specific natural landscape woven from yarn, while Yuma Taru’s textile works embody a strong Atayal cultural identity. Gioia Pan presents avant-garde garments punctured with voids, merging fashion with concepts of soft sculpture.
Through its Yii brand, the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute presents contemporary bamboo furniture created through collaborations between outstanding craftsmen and designers, highlighting the regional character and artistic vitality of bamboo craft. Kao-Ming Chen, combining exquisite bamboo-weaving techniques with Chun-Lung Wang’s childhood memories of rural life, created the Cocoon Project, which garnered international media attention during its presentation in Kanazawa. Renowned Japanese design studio NENDO translates Chiu Chin-Tuan’s bamboo-weaving techniques into metal, while Yu-Jen Chou and Su Su-Jen apply woven bamboo spheres to sofa design, fully demonstrating bamboo’s remarkable strength and resilience.
Through inquiry and practice, the curators seek to preserve and innovate the value of craftsmanship at the intersection of tradition and modernity, mapping the context and spectrum of contemporary Taiwanese craft creation.
