Detail of Fudo, 2025, madake bamboo, bamboo branches, rattan, 25 x 15 x 14 in.

Yufu Shohaku
January 30 – February 28, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, January 30, 5-7pm
1601 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM

TAI Modern is pleased to present a new exhibition of works by master Japanese bamboo artist Yufu Shohaku. This exhibition features recent baskets that demonstrate the artist’s continued exploration of his signature “dragon pattern” technique and his deep engagement with Japanese mythology and natural forms.

Now in his eighties, Yufu remains one of bamboo art’s most distinctive and commanding voices. He is recognized for his bold, rough-plaited baskets created from bamboo branches, roots, and large chunks of half-split bamboo. His works are characterized by their vigorous energy, varied surfaces, and robust sculptural presence.

Yufu begins each piece with freshly cut madake bamboo, splitting and slicing the culm with a simple handheld knife to achieve strips of precise dimensions. He is among the few remaining bamboo artists who can work comfortably with bamboo strips over seven feet in length. Working largely without measurements or preliminary drawings, Yufu relies on decades of experience and an internalized sense of form. He builds his baskets through hexagonal plaiting, then adds layers of random-weave bamboo, incorporating spiraling bamboo ropes, loops of bundled bamboo strips, and his distinctive dragon pattern elements to create rich texture and visual movement.

“When I make flower baskets, I always consider the size and balance of the baskets, as well as the type of flowers to be arranged in them,” Yufu explains. “For me, baskets and flowers are inseparable, and I get my inspiration from natural forms such as the earth and cliffs. I try to give my works an organic look, as if they are a part of nature.”

To learn more, click here.