DESIGNER
Kyoko Ibe (伊部京子)
Kyoko Ibe is a pioneering artist who began using traditional washi (Japanese handmade paper) as an innovative medium for contemporary art in the 1970s. Renowned internationally for her two-dimensional works, installations, and stage designs, Ibe has opened new horizons for washi as a material of modern expression.
After completing her master’s degree in Design and Design Theory at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoko Ibe began her full-scale creative exploration using washi (Japanese handmade paper). At that time, washi was regarded primarily as a material for traditional crafts or calligraphy. However, Ibe recognized its inherent sense of time and its unique aesthetic potential, and opened up new realms of artistic expression through this traditional medium.In recent years, her work has explored the regeneration of old papers and historical documents, weaving together layers of memory and material history.evoke cosmic landscapes and the forces of nature while deeply expressing the history and spirituality embedded in Washi.
In the early stages of her creative endeavors,Kyoko was significantly influenced by the Mid-Century Modern design culture. Her reinterpretation of the relationships between material, structure, and space infused the innovative spirit of that era into the traditional medium of Washi.These early works are currently undergoing a renaissance, with the release of reproductions based on her representative pieces, now featured in the AWA KOYORI Series.
Her installations and stage productions merge the cultural and spiritual legacy of papermaking with performative storytelling, leaving a profound emotional impact on audiences.
Biography
1967 Completed M.A. in Design, Kyoto Institute of Technology
1998 Kyoko Ibe Exhibition, I SPACE, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA
2000 Spirits and Nature, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona, USA
2002 Shared Territory (with Georges Rousse), RUR Contemporary Art Center, France
2003 Kyoko Ibe Exhibition, Ino-cho Paper Museum, Kochi, Japan
2005 Kyoko Ibe Works, Mino Washi Museum, Gifu, Japan
2007 Indigenous Paper (with Mark Lander), Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C., USA
2008 The World of Yugen, Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois, USA
2010 Washi Monogatari, Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt
2011 The Story of Washi: Paper Works by Kyoko Ibe, Pavilion for Japanese Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), USA
2013 The Story of Washi, Inga Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2015 The Story of Washi, Visual Art Center, Doha, Qatar
2017 Washi Monogatari: Once Upon a Time, Stockton University Art Gallery, New Jersey, USA
2018 Two-person exhibition, Erik Thomsen Gallery, New York, USA
2022 Kyoko Ibe Works, Meyer Frodeman Gallery, Jackson Hole, USA
2023 The Story of Washi: Kyoko Ibe Exhibition, Harley Gallery, Princeton University, USA
2024 The Story of Washi, Chushin Art Museum, Kyoto, Japan
Stagedesign
1987 Tandy Beal Company The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light, Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, USA
1998 Festival ’98, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, USA
1999 New Art, New World, Skylight Stage, Chicago, USA
2000 Stage design for Utah Dance Company, Marriott Theatre, Salt Lake City, USA
Cherry Blossom Fantasy, Nagaoka Lyric Hall, Niigata, Japan
2008 Stage design for Noh performance, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, USA
2011 Recycling: Washi Tales, Krannert Center, University of Illinois, USA
Recycling: Washi Tales, Bing Theater,
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), USA
2016 Recycling: Washi Tales, Asia Society, New York, USA
2017 Recycling: Washi Tales, Stockton University Art Gallery, New Jersey, USA
2023 Washi Tales: Felon, Berlind Theatre, Princeton University, USA
Awards
1976 Kyoto Craft Exhibition, Bronze Prize
1977 Kyoto Craft Exhibition, Silver Prize
1980 Kyoto Craft Exhibition, Gold Prize
1988 Isadora Duncan Award for Visual Design, San Francisco, USA
10th Avon Women of the Year Award for the Arts.
Avon Women’s Award for the Arts
1990 São Paulo Art Critics Association Award, Brazil
1993 Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Merit Award
2002 Japan Traditional Culture Award
2012 Kyoto Art and Culture Award
2019 Kyoto City Cultural Merit Award
Publications
1990 / 1996 Handbook of Washi I & II, All Japan Handmade Paper Association (co-author)
1997 Modern Japanese Culture Vol. 5, Iwanami Shoten (co-author)
1998 High School Contemporary Japanese Textbook, Taishukan Shoten (co-author)
2000 Contemporary Paper Art, Shibundo (editor)
2006 Encyclopedia of Paper Culture, Asakura Shoten (co-editor)
2013 Paper: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Shibunkaku Publishing (co-editor)
2019 Papermaker’s Tears, Vol. 1, The Legacy Press, USA (co-author)
2023 The Way of Washi Tales, The Legacy Press, USA (co-author)
2024 Washi Monogatari: The Way of Washi Tales (Japanese edition), Craftive Publishing
Public Collection
Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois, USA
Art Institute of Chicago (USA)
Chu-shin Museum of Art (Kyoto)
Kyoto Museum of Culture (Kyoto)
Art and Craft Museum, Kyoto Institute of Technology (Kyoto)
Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois, USA Stage Design / Scenic Arts
Mino Washi Village Hall (Japan)
North Jutland Art Museum (Denmark)
Utah Museum of Fine Arts (USA)
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (USA)
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (USA)