Fukumoto Shihoko

Purchased from the artist

One of Japan’s leading female textile artists, Fukumoto Shihoko employs a plethora of natural fabrics dyed in the traditional aizome (indigo dying) technique, creating wall hangings and installations with a radiant luminosity. Born in 1945 in Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shihoko initially studied painting at the Kyoto Municipal University of Fine Art. Her work shifted towards textiles and dyes when she began experimenting with aizome in the 1970s. The aesthetic of indigo colouring is central to Japanese art and design, with the deep blue dye harking back to early medieval production. Fukumoto successfully innovated the tradition, invigorating it with a contemporary sensibility and marrying it with the inherent tactility of natural materials to create her unique expression of profound yet delicate space.

Fukumoto’s works are in international public collections, including the American Crafts Museum, New York, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, and the Victoria and Albert Museum (The V&A), London.