Artist
Kawai Yumiko
Circle. 2014. Embroidery thread, cotton fabric. H. 74, W. 74 cm.
Circle. 2016. Embroidery thread, cotton fabric. H. 35, W. 45 cm.
Circle. 2017. Embroidery thread, cotton fabric. H. 56, W. 60 cm.
Kawai has spent the past 25 years embroidering circles onto cloth. She stitches over circles drawn onto the cloth, creating circles with a variety of expressions. By applying layers of embroidery, the originally flat cloth bulges under the circular stitching. Colorful threads overlap, covering the fabric in a varied and expressive landscape peaked with mountains of embroidery. Each work takes around three months to complete. This exhibition features 20 pieces of embroidery by Kawai on different pieces of fabric and kimono.
Profile
Kawai Yumiko
Born in 1979. Kawai currently lives in Shiga Prefecture. She has been a member of Atelier Yamanami since 1997. Kawai’s embroideries consist of circles. She starts by drawing circles on the fabric, determining the general number and placement of the lines. Then, she embroiders the cloth, using an original stem stitch to trace the lines. Kawai works on several circles at once, varying the density of the embroidery so that the resulting fabric is embellished with circles of varying expressions. Kawai continues to add new layers of drawing and embroidery until the tension contracts the cloth and the once-flat circles bulge like mountains, producing thick, three-dimensional forms.