Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota

Timken/San Diego Museum of Art: 11/1/08–1/4/09

 

While many people, except for some old hippies and Dead Heads, may not consider tie-dying an art form, Itchiku Kubota spent his entire life reviving and perfecting this traditional Japanese method of textile design. The results of his life’s work will be showcased in a spectacular exhibition titled Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota, co-hosted by the Timken Museum of Art and the San Diego Museum of Art.

 

While strolling through the Tokyo National Museum in 1937 at the age of 20, Itchiku Kubota was stopped dead in his tracks by ancient textile using tsuishigahana, a lost technique of tie-dying that involved repeatedly immersing portions of cloth in dyes to create multi-colored designs. He would spend the next 40 years developing his own comparable version of the technique, creating in the process a complex method of tie-dying and ink drawing on monumentally scaled, eight-foot tall silk kimono, some incorporating embroidery or woven with metallic threads.

 

Seldom seen outside of Tokyo, 40 stunning examples of Kubota’s work will be shared by the two neighboring museums. The Timken will feature a selection of kimono from Kubota’s famous Mt. Fuji series, while SDMA will present the exhibition centerpiece, Symphony of Light, a breathtaking panoramic display of 30 kimono placed side-by-side to depict fall and winter from a projected series of the four seasons. Cleverly exploiting the light-reflective properties of silk, Kubota is able to achieve subtle changes of color and light, immersing the visitor in a continuous landscape.