Ueno Masao 上野 正夫 (1949-2019)
From Negano prefecture, Ueno Masao originally trained as an architect at the Shibaura Institute of Technology. In 1979, he was apprenticed to the bamboo master Honma Kazuaki (1930-2017) and in 1983, he worked at the studio of Kondou Shousaku. Ueno participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, both in Japan and in the West, including Japanese Contemporary Bamboo Art at the MFA, Boston in 2006 and the New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters exhibition at the Japan Society, New York in 2008. He produced specially commissioned work for the 2011 Basketry exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich and in 2017 for the headquarters of the Pritzker Organization, Chicago, as well as creating large-scale outdoor projects in Thailand, Indonesia, China and England. His geometrically precise works combine the innovative use of computer design software with traditional technical skills and are found in the collections of many institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute of Japanese Art, San Francisco; the MFA, Boston; Sumida Riverside Gallery, Tokyo; and the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
Biography
1949 Born in Nagano
1972 Graduated from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Faculty of Architecture
1977 Studied traditional bamboo craft in Togakushi, Nagano
1979 Apprenticeship under the master craftsman Honma Kazuaki (Bamboo)
1982 Studied at the School of Bamboo Craft of Oita Prefecture
1983 Worked in the studio of the master craftsman Kondou Shousaku (Bamboo)
1999 Artist in Residence, Imadate Exhibition of Contemporary Paper Art Works, Fukui
2004 Artist in Residence, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Pancevo
2012 Artist in Residence, Bambouseraie de Prafrance, Générargues
Festival International des Extra Ordinaires Jardin Lecoq, Clermont-Ferrand
2013 John Muir International Artist Residency, Scotland
2019 Passed away
Selected Solo Exhibitions
1987 Ikebukuro Seibu Gallery, Tokyo
1988 Art Act, Gallery Cellar and Ginka Corner, Tokyo
Woven Nature, Entrance Hall of Towada Hotel, Akita
1989 Gallery Cellar, Tokyo
1990 Polaris, Axis of the Earth, Grizedale Sculpture Park, England
1991 Bamboo Shelter, Espace Ohara, Tokyo
1992 Gallery Muu, Kyoto
1993 The Bamboo City, River Side Gallery, Tokyo
Bamboo Shelter, Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park, Kagoshima
1994 Pagoda of Leaves, Hibiya Park, Tokyo
1995 Cherry Pagoda, City of European Culture Exhibition, Luxembourg
Bamboo Arc, Manchester City Art Gallery, Manchester
1996 Gallery Isogaya ,Tokyo
1997 Comodo Art Plaza, Chiba
2000 Season of Camellia, Sakura City Museum of Art, Chiba
2007 TAI Gallery, Santa Fe
Selected Group Exhibitions
1989 Contemporary Art Exhibition of Paper, Gallery Lamia ,Tokyo
1990 On The Earth, Axis Gallery, Tokyo
1991 20th Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art
1994 Basketry Art Exhibition, Studio Com, Kyoto
1996 Chiba Art Flash, Sakura City Museum of Art
1997 Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design Fair (SOFA), Chicago
1998 Shibayama Art Exhibition, Chiba
Arte Sella, Italy
1999 International Contemporary Basketmaking Exhibition, Craft Council London 2001 Formals and Contrasts, Sybaris Gallery, Michigan
2003 Bambus im alten Japan, Volkerkundemuseum, Zurich University
2004 Basket, Hiratsuka City Museum of Fine Art
2005 Art Expo, SOFA Chicago
2006 Japanese Contemporary Bamboo Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
2007 Master of Bamboo, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
2008 East Weave West, National Vlechmuseum, Netherlands
New Bamboo, Japan Society, New York
2009 Form of Bamboo, Oita Prefecture Museum of Art
2010 Art Expo, Art Chicago
2011 Basketry, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich
2014 Installation in Frist Learning Center, Cheekwood Botanical Garden, Nashville
2015 Installation in Metropolitan Museum, Manila
2016 Bamboo Tradition in Contemporary Form, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
2020 Winter Shadows, TAI Modern, Santa Fe
2021 Ten Thousand Flowers, TAI Modern, Santa Fe
Public and Institutional Collections
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
Grizedale Sculpture Park, Lake District
Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Rovereto, Italy
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Sumida Park Riverside Gallery, Tokyo
The Ruth & Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art, San Francisco