KIBE Seiho
(b. 1951)
Bamboo was Kibe's ticket out of a mundane life. He was working as a gas
station attendant when, in his thirties, he resolved to find a way to make
his life more meaningful. Despite his family's objections, the pressure
they exerted on him to take over operation of their farm, and the fact that
making a living in bamboo was extremely difficult, Kibe quit his job to
learn the genre.
Though he has no formal art training, the artist's work illustrates an
intuitive sense of proportion and an ability to produce complex plaiting
that is suggestive of quilting. His baskets exude a quietness that belies
his personality, which is gregarious, earthy, and funny.
For many years Kibe has steeped himself in traditional Japanese styles and
techniques but recently he has expanded his repertoire, moving strongly
into the contemporary realm.
The artist became a full member of the Japan Craft Arts Association
in 2000 and won prestigious prizes at regional and national exhibitions
thereafter. In 2004, he was a finalist for the Cotsen Bamboo Prize. Kibe's
baskets are in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum and the
San Francisco Asian Art Museum.
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