Oki Toshie, Daybreak, 2015, madake bamboo, rattan, 5.25 x 11.75 x 5.75 in.

Oki Toshie, TAI Modern
Last day July 23, 2022

Born in Gunma in 1976, Okie Toshie studied under Iizuka Shokansai. Since she began exhibiting her works in 2002, she has maintained an active schedule of shows, won several important awards, and has had her work enter several museums, including the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon. Most recently, some of her creations were included in Masterpieces of Bamboo Art: Katsushiro Soho and Fujinuma Noboru at the Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts in Utsunomiya in 2020.

Commenting on her work, Okie remarked, “It is a joy for me to create my artwork. At the same time, it is painful. Every time I push my creative boundaries, I hit walls of resistance. This makes me realize how incompetent I am and how much there is still to learn. On top of that, it shows a part of me that I want to hide. This process is, however, a necessary part of my life just as eating and sleeping are. I chose to work in the Traditional Craft Organization which has many rules and regulations that limit working in more sculptural forms. Despite this, I am very comfortable working within this restrained freedom to express myself.”

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