Lot 172
JUN TOMITA (JAPANESE 1951-)
IKAT WEAVING (OBI LENGTH KASURI), c.1978
£1,134
Auction: MODERN MADE Part II | 01 November 2024 | Lots 80 to 444
Description
cotton
Dimensions
203.2cm long, 30.5cm wide (80in long, 12in wide)
Provenance
The Estate of Mary Farmer by 1982, likely through an exchange between Tomita and Farmer.
Footnote
Exhibited:
The Maker's Eye, Exhibition Catalolgue, Crafts Council, 1982, p. 85, cat. no. MF38, section illustrated.
Mary Farmer: A Life in Tapestry. Crafts Study Centre, May-September 2024.
Born in the Japanese Tomaya Prefecture in 1951, Jun Tomita is a prominent weaver and keen advocate of the kasuri method of ikat weaving. After studying and training in Australia and England, Tomita returned to Japan where he eventually established his home and studio in Koshihata, west of Kyoto in 1982. He has taught at the West Surrey College of Art and Design and at the Kyoto College of Art, and has exhibited internationally.
For Tomita, this move to the mountain village of Koshihata, surrounded by mountains and forests was significant. The exposure to the constant change of the natural landscape around him, inspired a personal and poetic response in his weavings rooted in nature. He dyes and weaves his own threads to produce traditional Japanese obi belts, traditionally worn with kimonos, as well as rugs for the wall and floor. For his chosen ikat weaves, he treats his thread and weaves it into the fabric – thus creating completely unique pieces.
Over the years, his community has grown, with more than thirty assistants completing their training with him in his textile studio. Tomita’s tranquil and multilayered style, reminiscent of paintings, is highly acclaimed in Japan and internationally. The present work was acquired by the celebrated British weaver Mary Farmer and selected by her for the 1982 exhibition hosted by the Crafts Council, The Maker’s Eye, in London.
Following on from the formation of the Crafts Advisory Committee in 1971, Mary Farmer was a significant figure in the contemporary craft scene that followed. For the seminal 1982 Crafts Council exhibition The Maker's Eye, Farmer was one of the selectors and she chose this Ikat weaving by Jun Tomita as one of her selections.
