Yvonne Wakabayashi

Yvonne Wakabayashi
Burnaby, British Columbia CANADA
info@yvonnewakabayashi.com
www.yvonnewakabayashi.com

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ABOUT

My inspiration comes from living close to the water’s edge. I attempt to recreate the delicate beauty and fragility of our living sea.

In my sculptures, I use Japanese silk fabric which is woven in a small family mill in Gunma Prefecture.  The fabric connects me to my cultural heritage and reflects my appreciation for this precious fabric which has been produced in the same way for centuries.  The sericin gum left in the silk by the silkwork enables me to retain the memory of the shapes in the individual pieces which I have assembled to create “sea anemone” and “sea forms” sculptures.

My adaptation of the Japanese technique of shibori continues to evolve and although it becomes somewhat distanced from the traditions of this process, my goal is to explore the possibilities, to combine it with western aesthetics and to respect and honour its beginnings.

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EDUCATION & AWARDS

Best in Show & First Prize, Wearable Art Awards, Port Moody Art Center, BC, CAN  2005
First Prize, Dressed to Thrill, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY  2004
Saidye Bronfman Award Nominee, Canadian Craft Museum, CAN  1999, 2004
Honourable Mention, Wearable Expressions, Palos Verdes Art Center, CA  2003
Master of Education, University of British Columbia, CAN  1982 -1987

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EXHIBITIONS (selected)

Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles, Montreal, PQ  2009
7th International Shibori Symposium, Artefact Gallery, Lyon, France   2008
4th, 5th, 6th  Wearable Expressions, Palos Verdes Art Center, CA  2003, ’05, ’08
Fiberarts International Contemporary Fiber Art, Pittsburgh, PA  2007
SDA Constants and Variable; Sum of the Parts, Kansas City Art Institute, MO  2005, ’07
6th International Shibori Symposium,  Concept 21 Gallery, Tokyo, JAPAN  2005
“Breath of Nature: Hide & Reveal,” 2nd & 4th Cheongju International Craft, KOREA  2001, 05
Creative Links, Grace Barrard Design Center, Nutfield, UK  2004
Fibreworks Canadian Fiber, Cambridge Gallery, ON; Art Gallery of Peterborough, ON  2004

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PUBLICATIONS

Art Textiles of the World, Canada, Telos Publishing, Brighton, UK  2009
Textil Gestaltung, Jan. Essen, GERMANY  2008
American Style, October, Baltimore, MD  2007
Surface Design Journal, Gallery Issue, Sebastopol, CA  2006
Fiberarts Design Book VI & VII, Lark Books, Asheville, NC  1999,’04

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PROFESSIONAL
Guest Lecturer, Kwantlen Univ., Capilano Univ., Univ of the Fraser Valley  2003 – present
Instructor, Textile Arts, Capilano College, North Vancouver, BC  1987-92, 1998-2003
Instructor, Fashion Program, University College of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC  1987- 2003
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COLLECTIONS
Canada Council for the Arts Artbank, Ottawa, Ontario  2009
Cambridge Gallery, Cambridge, Ontario  2004