Shimijimi: Dyed and Inlaid Textiles by Shigeki Fukumoto

As dye is introduced to cloth, the nature of the material is to spread unabated unless carefully controlled. Fukumoto approaches each wax resist dyed work in careful balance between technical process and the exploration of self-expression. Step by step he prepares the cloth and color dyes to guide the unruly nature of the medium to accomplish his intended expression. Fukumoto's meticulous preparation creates opportunities for controlled entropy where nature otherwise tends towards chaos.

Wax resist (rozome) is the core method of his many styles born out of six decades of dyeing experience. Among them are the application of dye with a brush (hikizome), a blurring of soft colors (boke, naruhodo-zome), and the arranging of thousands of dyed-and-cut cloth, inlaid using Japanese washi paper, into criss-crossing sceneries that evoke a sense of light and movement from the varied levels of gloss applied to the cloth (nunozoukan). "Dyeing offers rich potential when we think of it not as a craft, but rather as a medium of free expression."

Shigeki Fukumoto earned his MFA in western-style painting at Kyoto City University of Arts in 1970, and joined the Osaka University of Arts faculty as an associate professor in 1989, then full professor in 1997. Since 1970, Fukumoto has exhibited his dyed textiles widely in Asia and the United States. Among his public collections include the Cleveland Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (United States of America); National Museums of Modern Art in Kyoto and Tokyo (Japan); Ilmin Museum and the Cheongju Korean Craft Museum (South Korea). 

Fukumoto's explorative fieldwork brought him to Oceania, where he continues to return since 1969. Most revered among his studies are the dyeing traditions of Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. The "magnificent line" that appears repeatedly in his works as a representation of the horizon draws upon his extensive travels to the region. Selected items from Fukumoto's one-thousand item collection from the region, linking to his life's work, will join the exhibition. Ippodo Gallery welcomes the artist, traveling from Kyoto, Japan,  for his premiere New York solo exhibition for an Opening Reception on April 30, 2026 from 5:00-8:00PM and an Artist Talk and Workshop on May 2, 2026.

Please contact Mayu Evans (mayu@ippodogallery.com) for more information and images, and Jesse Gross (jesse@ippodogallery.com) for sales inquiries. 

mail@ippodogallery.com | +1 (212) 967-4899 | 35 N Moore St, New York, NY, 10013

Images courtesy of Shigeki Fukumoto. 

Fascinated by the way dyes naturally spread according to the laws of nature, and the radiance of intersecting fibers that capture light, Fukumoto seeks to bring the essence of shimiru, the ancient Japanese skin-sensation of permeation, into the present day. Knowing the soul of cloth intimately, he devises original techniques and manipulates his tools with absolute freedom. His work includes his signature Naruhodo (“I see/Indeed”) dyeing that captures the dynamism of dye, Nokori-ga (“Lingering Scent”) and Utsuri-ga (“Transferred Scent”) techniques, where wet dyed cloth is pressed against white fabric to create richly expressive mottling, and Nuno-Zogan (Cloth Inlay), where he breaks the taboo of cutting fabric into fragments and breathes new life into them.

Distinct from tableaux, tapestries, or conventional fiber work, Fukumoto is carving out a textile horizon that has never been seen before. His work is an attempt to quietly dissolve the boundaries between nature, daily life, and art. The dyeing that emerges is a new spiritual frontier of creativity that permeates the heart deeply—truly, Shimijimi.