Shigeki Fukumoto (b. 1946) was born in Shiga Prefecture and raised in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto. Fukumoto studied Western painting at Kyoto City University of Arts (formerly Kyoto Municipal College of Fine Arts). After graduating, he took over the family business of traditional Kyoto yuzen dyeing.
Fukumoto's practice is grounded in the belief that both theoretical and cultural research are essential to dyeing. He has engaged in studies of dyeing techniques and ethnographic art, while also contributing to education and continuously exploring new forms of expression within contemporary art.
Using large panels, Fukumoto has developed innovative techniques that combine traditional dyeing methods with new ideas, such as his intricate "cloth patterns" (布象嵌). Through these, he creates works that evoke both inevitability and chance, exploring the natural principles of dye permeation and the unique expressive qualities of dyed surfaces.
Fukumoto has stated that Kyoto's dyeing culture, which he considers "one of the finest in the world," possesses a distinctive sensibility shaped by the city's rich historical and cultural environment. He has actively presented this aesthetic internationally through exhibitions and symposia in Europe and Asia.
After retiring from a professorship at Kanazawa College of Art in 2016, Fukumoto moved his studio from central Kyoto to the northern mountains of the city about ten years ago, where he continues to create work. As both an artist and researcher, he emphasizes "pure curiosity" and an "amateur spirit," and expresses a strong desire to pass on the knowledge gained through his own observations and experiences to future generations.
Current PositionsVisiting Collaborative Researcher, Ritsumeikan University Center for Asia-Pacific Studies
Visiting Professor, Kanazawa College of Art
Part-time Lecturer, Kyoto City University of Arts
Major Awards1992: 1st International Textile Competition (Grand Prize), Osaka Triennale (Bronze Prize)
2001: Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Invited Artist Exhibition (Grand Prize)
2020: Japan Dyeing Association Award
2021: Special Award, Dojin Bio Regional Research
Selected PublicationsThe Culture of Dyeing: The Spirit of Japanese Dyeing (1996)
Why Crafts Are Interesting in the 21st Century (Editor, 2003)
Fukumoto Shigeki: The Infinite World of Black (2017)
Before Textile Objects: Clothing of the South Pacific (2023), among others
Public CollectionsTextile Museum, Washington D.C.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Crafts Museum, Kanazawa
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
Shigeki Fukumoto (b. 1946) was born in Shiga Prefecture and raised in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto. Fukumoto studied Western painting at Kyoto City University of Arts (formerly Kyoto Municipal College of Fine Arts). After graduating, he took over the family business of traditional Kyoto yuzen dyeing.
