Kawano Shoko “Autumn Grasses” 2020, madake, susutake, and hobichiku bamboo, rattan, 11.75 x 15.75 x 12.25 in. Image: Mankus Photography

KAWANO SHOKO
July 31 – August 22, 2026
1601 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM

There’s still time to experience Kawano Shoko, TAI Modern’s second solo exhibition of work by acclaimed Japanese bamboo artist Kawano Shoko, before it closes August 22. Marking ten years since his first exhibition with the gallery, the presentation also celebrates his receipt of Japan’s Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2024.

Among the works on view is Autumn Grasses, a striking flower basket that beautifully demonstrates Kawano’s distinctive use of color and his sensitivity to the natural qualities of bamboo. Standing approximately 12 inches tall, the work transitions from a rectangular base to an oval top, creating a balanced, elegant composition crowned by a low, arching handle. Its honey-colored base is woven in sukashi-ajiro, an open twill plaiting technique, into which carefully bent and tapered strips of susutake (antique sooted bamboo) have been inserted. The bamboo’s dappled coloration ranges from deep chestnut to warm tones of copper and brass, echoed in the dark brown rattan stitching and broad outer rim. A reddish inner rim further draws out the basket’s rich, autumnal palette. True to its name, Autumn Grasses evokes the transformation of grasses in meadows and wetlands as they turn red and golden with the changing season.

Ten years after his first solo presentation at TAI Modern, Kawano Shoko showcases an artist whose thirty-eight-year practice honors centuries of bamboo craftsmanship while continually pushing the medium in new directions. His singular sculptural language balances structural precision with remarkable lightness, openness, and fluidity. With its masterful interplay of form, color, and space, Kawano Shoko is an exhibition not to be missed!

To learn more, click here.