Description
Figure_306174630 by Toru Ishii is composed of kata yuzen and itome yuzen on tsumugi paper with pigment and acrylic color. This contemporary textile piece is sold framed in a wooden frame with UV filtering acrylic. The dimensions listed above reflect the size of the frame.
About the artist
Toru Ishii is a Tokyo-based artist known for his contemporary Japanese textile art, created using yuzen, a resist-dyeing technique in which rice paste is applied to establish the composition and separate areas of dye. Born in Shizuoka, Ishii received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Textile Arts from Tokyo University of the Arts and studied textile design at Chelsea College of Arts and Design in London. His practice focuses especially on Itome Yuzen, or “line Yuzen,” a refined subgenre developed in the 18th century by silk producers in Kyoto’s Nishijin textile district. Historically used to create richly colored and highly complex designs of birds, flowers, figures, and landscapes across kimono and obi, Itome Yuzen provides Ishii with a traditional language for depicting contemporary life in vivid color. In his words, “I am creating my work under the theme of simultaneously renovating traditional crafts and refurbishing contemporary art.”
Ishii was selected as the 2026 Ronin | Globus Artist-in-Residence after being named first runner-up in the 2023 program. His contemporary textile wall arts have been exhibited internationally, including at Japan Society Gallery, New York; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and the Sapporo International Art Festival. His works are held in public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Morikami Museum, Miami; the National Crafts Museum, Kanazawa; and Tokyo University of the Arts Museum.