Hiroko Ohte


1960 Born in Nara.Japan


1983 Graduated from Kobe University
1985 Graduated from Kawashima Textile School
1999~ Assistant professor of Seian College of Art and Design

Resume

  • Statement

    • The reason why I continue my production through weaving is that I am strongly attracted to the technique of weaving. The origin of my work is the surprise and pleasure I felt at the time when each warp and weft yarns came together one by one, producing a cloth, at my first try at back strap weaving by consulting an instruction book.

    Although there are an uncountable number of weaving techniques, those I usually use are two kinds: ikat and double weaving. Except for brocade weaving and system weaving, which repeat the same pattern regularly, I consider only three weaving techniques - tapestry weaving, ikat, and double weaving (not to mention more than triple) - ideal to freely create patterns on the cloth. Tapestry weaving gives the maximum level of liberty in pattern creation. For instance, it allows the most proximity in reproduction of the original image drawn by an artist. My interest, however, does not lie in such methods and expressions. What I am after is expressions unique to the construction of weaving, created by the use of warp and weft yarns - original expressions different from painting, dying, or block printing.

    Initially, I created many one-dimensional works, in which the main theme the production was to simplify (by technique limitation) and use some motive by using ikat and multiple colors. My intention was, by doing so, to give a sense of dimensions to a thin cloth and create a visually textural effect.

    In my repeated attempts in this effort, my focus has shifted to the relationship between the cloth and other things. Particularly in the continuous efforts in highlighting the feature of the cloth that it has two surfaces by using double weaving, I found the cloth to have developed into an expression deeply concerned with space. In this process, my attention was given to the diversity of the cloth and revealing the relationship between the cloth and other things.

    Recent works of mine present the cloth's function of "creating a situation"- setting up woven clothes in a space, connecting the cloth and space closely, and thus involving people concerning this situation. I have been seeking to highlight the positive feature of the cloth; such work originates in my quest for new forms of the existence of cloth and is based on what clothes I wish to see next.



[To Kiyonori Shimada] [To Masae Bamba] [To Yuko Takada Keller]