Bamboo Flower Vessels
With spring in full swing, we invite you to discover the quiet beauty and layered history of woven bamboo flower vessels — sculptural forms that hold blossoms as well as centuries of Japanese artistic tradition.
The association between flowers and bamboo vessels in Japan dates back to the 6th century, when Buddhism was introduced from China. In early practices, flower petals were offered in shallow bamboo trays before images of the Buddha, a gesture of reverence that gradually evolved. By the Kamakura period (1192–1333), these offerings transformed into arrangements of stemmed flowers and expanded beyond religious ritual into everyday life. Flower displays became an integral element of interior spaces, and bamboo baskets emerged as favored vessels for ikebana, admired for their natural harmony and refined craftsmanship.
Early bamboo masters created vessels with the understanding that they would be displayed with flowers, requiring a deep knowledge of ikebana principles. Today, while many artists approach these works as sculptural objects in their own right, the dialogue between vessel and bloom remains essential.
To view these elegant works of art, click here.
PAST ASIA WEEK NEW YORK EXHIBITION
Japanese Bamboo Art: Tradition and Transformation
March 19 – 23, 2026
Exhibiting at: Colnaghi, 23 East 67th Street, 4th Floor
Opening Reception: Thursday March 19, 5-7pm
Special AWNY Hours: Daily, 11am-5pm
TAI Modern is thrilled to return to Asia Week, this time with Japanese Bamboo Art: Tradition and Transformation, an exhibition exploring the enduring dialogue between historical tradition and contemporary innovation in Japanese bamboo art. Weaving together historic and contemporary pieces, this presentation brings together works by artists across generations, demonstrating how the medium continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in traditional techniques and philosophies.
To learn more, click here.
About the Gallery
TAI Gallery was created by Robert T. Coffland, a leading expert in Japanese bamboo arts in the West, who began sourcing works from contemporary masters in Japan. The gallery moved from the founder’s home to a gallery space on Canyon Road, then to its current location in the Santa Fe Railyard in 2006.
Margo Thoma purchased the gallery in 2014 and merged it with her contemporary American art gallery, Eight Modern. Rebranded as TAI Modern, Thoma and renowned bamboo expert, Koichiro Okada, continue Coffland’s mission of building museum-quality collections.
Thoma supports and promotes bamboo art in the West by serving as an advisor to Western collectors and institutions, facilitating public demonstrations, and curating bamboo art exhibitions. She is a tireless collaborator and ally with and for senior artists across Japan, and sponsors aspiring bamboo artists to participate in national competitions. She has written essays for exhibition catalogs both in the U.S. and Japan and is a frequent public speaker on bamboo art.
Works by TAI Modern artists have been placed in some of the country’s most prestigious institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Mint Museum of North Carolina; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Denver Art Museum; Museum of Art and Design; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.