Tetsuo Kusama
Textile, Weaving, Soft sculpture
Born in Tokyo,1946
1969 Graduated from Musashino Art University
Employed by Kawashima Selkon Textiles
1973 Completed graduate studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art (USA)
1975 Assistant Professor, College of Fine Arts, University of Utah
2011 Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Design, Okayama Prefectural University
Member of
Kyoto Kogei Association
Contact: t-kusama@zb3.so-net.ne.jp
Statement
Throughout fifty years of creative work, one of the fundamental themes has been the expression of natural phenomena through the use of thread, color, and unique techniques - capturing the shifting hues as the darkness of night gives way to dawn, the expanse of sky and sea along the winter horizon, the mirages that appear after intense summer rains, and the fresh green of budding trees in early spring.
Website: http://kusama-textile.weebly.com
Solo Exhibitions
1981, '82, '83, '87, '90, '92 Gallery Gallery, Kyoto
1987, '97, '99, '04, '07, '10 Gallery Maronie, Kyoto
2013 Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art, Okayama
2019 Kumano-kodo Nakahechi Museum of Art, Wakayama
2021 Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
2025 Kyoto Art and Culture Award Commemorative Exhibition, The Museum of Kyoto
And many other solo exhibitions since 1977
Group Exhibitions
1977 Contemporary Form: Weaving - USA and Japan (Kyoto / The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo).
8th International Biennial of Tapestry (Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland)
1987 International Textile Competition '87 Kyoto (Kyoto International Conference Center)
1995 Japanese Studio Craft (Victoria & Albert Museum, UK)
2002 Small Works in Fiber (LongHouse Reserve, New York / SOFA Chicago)
2005 The 4th Cheongju International Craft Biennale (Cheongju, South Korea)
2008 Cranbrook in Japan 2008 (OZONE, Tokyo)
2011 Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers (Japan Society, New York)
2013 Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers (Design Museum, Finland)
2014 The 8th International Fiber Art Biennale Exhibition (Nantong, China)
2016 Innovative Crafts: "Tradition and Avant-Garde" - and the Contemporary
(The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo – Crafts Gallery)
2019 4th Kanazawa World Craft Triennale (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa)
2024 Masakazu Kobayashi and His Era: Fiber Art - Beyond the Boundaries (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
And many other group exhibitions since 1971.
Awards
1976 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Craftsman Fellowship Grant
1989 Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts (Newcomer Category)
2001 Agency for Cultural Affairs Overseas Study Program for Artists (USA)
2012 7th International Fiber Art Biennale Exhibition: Silver Award (China)
2013 Marusen Cultural Award
2014 8th International Fiber Art Biennale Exhibition: Silver Award (China)
2015 Okayama Arts and Culture Award: Grand Prix
2022 Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award
2025 Kyoto Art and Culture Award
And several other awards in the USA, China, and Japan
Museum Collections
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (Crafts Gallery)
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Kyoto City Museum of Art
Tanabe City Museum of Art
Museum Bellerive (Switzerland)
Gallery Nouvelles Images (Netherlands)
Alice Art Collection (Utah)
Salt Lake Art Center (Utah)
Pacific Design Center (Los Angeles)
"Mirage L1~4"
"Horizon-2"
"Tea-B"
"Double Wing La"
"Double Wing Lb"
The works shown are for reference only and may differ from the works for the exhibition.
