Katazome: Japanese textile art from the US (Pacific Northwest)

12/1-12/23, 2023, Chieri Textile Museum, Torino, Italy

“Katazome: Japanese textile art from the US (Pacific Northwest)”

Seiko A. Purdue

“Katazome: Japanese textile from the Northwest” is an extension of the exhibition “Katazome Today: Migrations of Japanese Art” that I curated with the Whatcom Museum curator recently. It looks at the diaspora of a unique and historically significant Japanese textile-dyeing process that informs the work of contemporary artists the world over. Traditionally used for kimono dyeing, katazome involves the application of a dye-resistant rice paste over hand-cut stencils to then dye fabrics with precise patterning. Both the techniques of katazome, and those of the intricately hand carved stencil papers (katagami), have been handed down through generations of artisans over several centuries, and even though there is less demand for katazome products in Japan today, artists in various parts of the world continue to find new ways to use this technique.

For the exhibition at the Textile Museum in Chieri, I decided to show my students’ works and the work of Cheryl Lawrence, one of the participating artists in Katazome Today. Cheryl has been making a significant amount of katazome works and has taught the techniques around the Northwest in the US. I will also show my katazome work based on my recent trip to Chieri and Torino. I would like to introduce my research on natural dyeing with katazome including common ancient dyes such as indigo and madder. I hope that this exhibition will inspire viewers artistically and help them to understand the process of katazome as a resist technique that was developed primarily in the East. It is fascinating to know how the incredible skills and designs for katazome and katagami (stencils) were developed over time and that it has so much potential to develop towards a new era in innovative ways.

I wish to acknowledge the support of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Washington University for their assistance in shipping the artworks. Thanks as well to my students for dedicating their time and skill towards this exhibition opportunity. And lastly, my deepest appreciations to Linda Smeins, art historian and former colleague in the Art Department at Western for making the connection between Chieri and Bellingham and for sharing her passion and engagement in the textile field.