Hiroshi Yamano - Bender Gallery

Hiroshi Yamano

Hiroshi Yamano
Hiroshi Yamano creates sculptural glass art with his own unique fusion of craft traditions from the United States, Europe and Japan.  To emulate the decorative surfaces of Japanese screen paintings, he fuses gold and silver leaf onto hot glass and plates the glass with copper, using a process he himself adapted from ancient Japanese metal craft.   Yamano’s sculptures express his own life experiences as a traveler across cultures.  Fish are recurring images symbolizing his constant search for the treasures of experience.  “I am a fish that is always looking for something,” he has said. “I am a fish that cannot stop swimming.  Maybe I will swim forever, like the universe does.” 

Hiroshi Yamano From East to West_ Scene of Japan _46
From East to West: Scene of Japan #46
glass, silver leaf, metal  
6.5 x 17.5 x 17.25 in
Hiroshi Yamano Scene of Japan 161
Scene of Japan #161
 
44 x 18 x 8 in
Hiroshi Yamano Scene of Japan 31
Scene of Japan #31
glass, gold leaf, paint  
5 x 11 x 10.75 in

Hiroshi Yamano

Hiroshi Yamano

Hiroshi Yamano Biography

Born in 1956 in Fukuoka, Japan, Hiroshi Yamano has been working with glass for over 25 years. He has studied at prestigious schools throughout the US and Japan, such as California College of Arts and Crafts, Tokyo Glass Art Institute, and Rochester Institute of Technology where he received his Masters in Fine Arts.

Yamano began working with glass in 1975 having seen an exhibition of Scandinavian glass in Kyoto. After traveling to Europe, he returned to Japan to complete his studies. He spent the next two years studying glass. At California College of Arts and Crafts, under Marvin Lipofsky, he learned the creative aspects of glass, and at the Tokyo Glass Art Institute he learned the technical aspects of glass.

Yamano's list of exhibitions is as impressive as it is international. Venues include the United States, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Australia. He has received numerous awards, most notably in 1991, The Rakow Commission, an annual award presented to a leading glass artist, from The Corning Museum of Glass. The resulting piece was presented to the Corning Museum of Glass. His work appears in many collections, both public and private, including The Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the Wheaton Glass Museum in New Jersey and the Chrysler Museum in Virginia.

Hiroshi Yamano has been an integral part of a generation of artists who have transformed the glass vessel from a functional to a sculptural form. His vessels are glass canvases for his artistic expression, and in the creation of his work, he has transformed the craft of glass into an art. Hiroshi Yamano has worked throughout the world as an instructor at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School, as a lecturer at The Glass Art Society conference in Mexico, The Aus Glass Conference in Australia and the Vanersborg Glass Festival in Sweden. In 1998 he was invited to be a guest at Waterford Crystal in Ireland.

At Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Yamano began his series entitled "From East to West". There he developed the technique for which he is best known: rolling thickly blown hot glass over silver leaf to fuse it, scratching figures into the surface, and then plating the surface with copper. The idea for this technique came from studying Japanese metal work which is used for making traditional objects such as sword guards and copper containers. Yamano believes that the fish in his "From East to West" series are self-portraits with the mountains representing the United States and the water symbolizing Japan with its rivers, lakes and oceans.

Yamano always knew that it was glass he wanted to pursue. "My works," he says, "come from all my experiences. The memories I have from my experiences are my most important treasures. To keep finding my treasures, I have to keep swimming the world like a fish swimming in the waters." For the last 27 years, Yamano has been traveling the world and gathering inspiration. "I am a fish," he says, "who is always looking for something. I am a fish who cannot stop swimming until my body stops moving. Maybe I will swim forever, like the universe."

Fish are a recurrent motif in Yamano's glass vessels. He adheres to a strict thematic approach expressing his dynamism through his fluid forms. In some vessels he delineates form and decoration by casing his panels with patterns of fish in colorless glass. In others, he merges the two into opulent, elegant forms. Yamano's work is also as much about interiors as it is about exteriors, weaving together rich brocades of gold, silver and copper foils while creating a seductive interplay of transparency and translucency.

In his newest work, Yamano creates large circular windows that open into his gilt interiors delicately engraved with his fish motif. From the outside, the gentle folds of the overlapping leaves of gold, silver and copper create the appearance of precious papier mache. The most recent blown vessels include as many elegant, timeless forms as do his signature spheres with fish perched upon them, forms that reflect both tradition and innovation.

Hiroshi Yamano Description

Japan is a country that has four distinct seasons, and the seasons have traditionally been a popular subject in Japanese art. An appreciation of the changing seasons also permeates popular culture, as people take the time to enjoy scenes of natural beauty at different times of the year, to eat seasonal foods and to decorate their homes with objects that reflect the changing seasons.

I, too, have a strong awareness of the natural world that surrounds me. As I grow older, I find myself wanting to spend more time in nature for the peace of mind that it brings to me. I value the simplicity and quiet that I encounter there, surrounded by the beauty of the Japanese landscape.

My art is a reflection of that beauty; nature is the source of my creativity. In my work I want to interpret the feelings and sensations of having a close connection to nature, and through it share the beauty of the changing seasons in Japan with the viewer.

In Nagare (a Japanese word meaning current), pieces are designed to be slightly askew, creating a sense of movement, or flow, in the work. They are an extension of his popular From East to West series, through which he explores the influence of both Eastern and Western cultures in his life.

Hiroshi Yamano Resumé

EDUCATION

1981    B.A. Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan

1982    California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA, USA

1984    Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Tokyo, Japan

1989    M.F.A. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA

INSTRUCTOR

1986    Leon Applebaum Glass Studio, Plattsburg, NY,  USA

1988    Penland School of Crafts,  Penland, NC, USA

1990    Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

1991    Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

1994    Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2000    Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2002    Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2003    Chair of Glass Department, Osaka University of Arts, Osaka, Japan

2004    Grand Crystal Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2005    Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2006 - Present  Professor of Glass Department, Osaka University of Arts, Osaka, Japan

STUDIO FOUNDER & DIRECTOR

1991    Established Ezra Glass Studio, Ohtsuki, Japan

1998    Established Ezra Glass Studio at Kanaz Forest of Creation, Kanazu, Japan

            Glass Art Document, Kanazu, Japan

1999    Kanaz Forest of Creation Glass Workshop, Spring & Summer, Kanazu, Japan

2000    Established Glass School at Ezra Glass Studio, Kanazu, Japan

            Kanaz Forest of Creation Glass Workshop, Spring, Kanazu, Japan

Annual - Kanaz Forest of Creation Glass Workshop, Spring & Summer, Kanazu, Japan

 LECTURES & RESIDENCIES

1989    Creative Glass Center of America, Millville, NJ, USA

1991    Otaru Glass Art Festival, Otaru, Japan.

            Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, USA

1992    Glass Art Society Conference, Mexico

1993    Aus Glass Conference, Australia

1994    Vanersborg Glass Festival, Vanersborg, Sweden

1998    Waterford Crystal Company, Waterford, Ireland

1999    Glass & Science Symposium, Portugal

2002    Liquid Light Glass, Santa Fe, NM, USA

            Osaka Craft Park, Osaka, Japan

            Jam Factory, Adelaide, Australia

            Harbour Front Centre, Toronto, ONT, Canada

            Public Glassmaking and Metalworking Facility, Shizuoka, Japan

            MC Glass Lab, Tokyo, Japan

2003    Glass Works Symposium, Toyama, Japan

            Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

2004    San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA.

2005    Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA

2006    Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA, USA

2008    Glass Art Society Conference, Portland OR, USA

2009    College of Creative Studies, Detroit, MI, USA

2011    Bay Area Glass Institute, Santa Cruz, CA

2013    Wheaton Arts Visiting Artist, Glass Weekend, Millville, NJ, USA

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1989    Dowson Gallery,  Rochester, NY, USA

            Grohe Glass Gallery, Boston, MA, USA

1990    Habatat Gallery,  Boca Raton, FL, USA

1991    Heller Gallery,  New York, NY, USA

            Running Ridge Gallery,  Santa Fe, NM, USA

            William Traver Gallery,  Seattle, WA, USA

1992    Glass Gallery & Studio Asa, Tokyo, Japan

1993    Studio Com-Tachikichi, Kyoto, Japan

            Glass Gallery Mannu-Kurokabe, Nagahama, Japan

            Buro-M, Osaka, Japan

            Misawa Home Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

            Syoutaro Glass Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

            Espacio Glass Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1994    Glass Gallery Mannu-Kurokabe, Nagahama, Japan

            Mumon-An Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1995    Buro-M, Osaka, Japan

            Hanayo Gallery, Wakayama, Japan

            Gallery Wachi, Tokyo, Japan

            Gallery Ten, Daimaru Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

            Gallery Kokon, Niigata, Japan

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Rachel Collection, Aspen, CO, USA

1996    Gallery Bidro-Ya, Nagoya, Japan

            Hanayo Gallery, Wakayama, Japan

            Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR, USA

            Maurine Littleton Gallery, Washington DC, USA

            Edgewood Orchard Gallery, Fishcreek, WI, USA

            Grand Central Gallery, Tampa, FL, USA

1997    Rachel Collection, Aspen, CO, USA

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Heller Gallery, New York, NY, USA

            Gallery Neos, Tokyo, Japan

1998    Gallery Spotlight, Tokyo, Japan

            Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR, USA

            Gallery Shibayama, Tokyo, Japan

            Gallery Enomoto, Osaka, Japan

1999    Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

            Gallery Utsuwa-Kan, Kyoto, Japan

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Akarenga-Kan, Kitakyushu, Japan

2000    Heller Gallery, New York, NY, USA

            Rachel Collection, Aspen, CO, USA

            Gallery Enomoto, Osaka, Japan

            Gallery Kitsukei, Fukui, Japan

            Akarenga-Kan, Kitakyushu, Japan

            Riley Hawk Gallery, Cleveland, OH, USA

2001    Friesen Fine Art, Sun Valley, ID, USA

            Galleria Silecchia, Sarasota, FL, USA

            Gallery Utuwa-Kan, Kyoto, Japan

            Running Ridge Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Gallery Ten, Daimaru Department Store, Osaka, Japan

            Shibuya Tokyu Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

2002    Public Glassmaking and Metalworking Facility, Shizuoka, Japan

            Gallery Enomoto, Osaka, Japan

            Gallery Kikkei, Fukui, Japan

            Royal Art Gallery, Daimaru Department Store, Osaka, Japan

            Heller Gallery, New York, NY, USA

            Holsten Gallery, Stockbridge, MA, USA

            William Traver Gallery,  Seattle, WA, USA 

            Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

            Miranda Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA, USA

2003    Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, ONT, Canada

            Sala Crystal Gallery, Nara, Japan

            Museum of Arts and Crafts, Itami, Japan

            Sala Crystal Gallery, Nara, Japan

            Running Ridge Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

            Riley Hawk Gallery, Columbus, OH, USA

2004    Holsten Gallery, Stockbridge, MA, USA

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Shiga Kogen Roman Museum, Nagano, Japan

            Gallery Ten, Daimaru Department Store, Osaka, Japan

            Grand Crystal Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2005    Heller Gallery, New York, NY, USA

            Sala Crystal Gallery, Nara, Japan

            Tobin-Hewett Gallery, Louisville, KY, USA

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Lewallen Gallery, New Mexico, NM, USA

            Shibuya Tokyu Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

            Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

2006    Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI, USA

            Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA, USA

            William Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA, USA

            Fukui Kougeisha, Fukui, Japan

            Kuivato Glass Gallery, Sedona, AZ, USA

            Gallery Fush, Chiba, Japan

2007    Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR, USA

            Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Canada

            Lads Gallery, Osaka, Japan

2008    Wiliam Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Lewallen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM, USA

2009    Habatat Galleries, MI, USA

            Marta Hewett Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, USA

            Vidoroya, Nagoya, Japan

2010    LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM, USA

            Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR, USA

2011    William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Ken Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

2012    Thomas Riley Galleries, Cleveland, OH, USA

2013    Robert Lombard Fine Art, Orlando, FL, USA

2014    Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL, USA

            LewAllen Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ, and Santa Fe, NM, USA

            Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1986    Japan Modern Craft Exhibition, Tokyo Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

            New Glass from Japan and America,Nachste Ausstellung Museum, Switzerland

            New Glass from Japan, Gallery Gottscalk Bets, Frankfurt, Germany

            International Exhibition of Glass Crafts, Kanazawa, Japan

            Kyoto Craft International, Kyoto, Japan

1987    100 American Craftsmen, Kenan Center, Buffalo, NY, USA

            Japan Crafts Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan

1990    Stockbridge Invitational, Holsten Gallery, Stockbridge, MA, USA

            Glass Art, Hakone Open Air Museum, Hakone, Japan

            Rivalto Glass Sculpture Exhibition, Isetan Museum,Tokyo, Japan

            Ual Art Exhibition, Tokyo Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

            X’mas Glass Show, Gallery Nakama, Tokyo, Japan

            International Glass Invitational, Habatat Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, USA

1991    Glass Art, Glass Gallery & Studio Asa, Tokyo, Japan

            New Generation. Gallery Nakama, Tokyo, Japan

            Funzione, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

            Glass Art from Japan, Grohe Glass Gallery, Boston, MA, USA

            International Glass Invitational, Habatat Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, USA

1992    Glass Art, Contemporary Art Niki, Tokyo, Japan

            Funzione vol. 2, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

            Evolving, Yokohama City Gallery, Yokohama, Japan

            Design Vision, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

1993    International Glass Invitational, Habatat Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, USA

            Studio Glass Artists Exhibition, Maruzen Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

            Funzione vol. 3, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

1994    Japan Modern Glass Art Invitational, Tokyo, Japan

            Funzione vol. 4, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

            Tea Bowl Exhibition, Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1995    Funzione vol. 5, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

            Glass for September, Glass Gallery Karanis, Tokyo, Japan

            Glass for December, Glass Gallery Karanis, Tokyo, Japan

            Tea Bowl Exhibition, Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1996    Beer Van Gogh, Tokyo, Japan

            Tea Bowl Exhibition, Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1997    International Glass Invitational, Habatat Gallery, Boca Raton, FL, USA

            Ripple Effect in Glass, Gallery of American Craft, Millville, NJ, USA

            Funzione vol. 6, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

1998    Five Elements, Gallery Chika, Tokyo, Japan

            Sake and Sake Cup Exhibition, Miyako Hotel, Kyoto, Japan

            Summer Glass, Art Gallery Biyu-Bou, Japan

            Glass Art 98, Ginza Wako Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

            Directions, Gallery Misawa, Japan

            Grand Central Gallery, Tampa, FL, USA

            Glass Art, Niigata Museum, Niigata, Japan

1999    Rachel Collection, Aspen, CO, USA

            Glass Art, London Glassblowing Workshop, London, UK

            Glass Art, Gallery Candide, Tokyo, Japan

            Glass in Japan, Odakyu Museum, Tokyo, Japan

            Funzione vol. 7, Gallery ArteFact, Tokyo, Japan

            Corning Museum Rakow Awards Show, Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR, USA

            Glass Art Exhibition, Art Core Museum, Kanazu, Japan

2000    Exhibition of Kanaz Forest of Creation Artists, Art Core Museum, Kanazu, Japan

            Japan Contemporary Glass, Onoda Museum, Onoda, Japan

            William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA

            Stream of Light, Grand Crystal Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

            Creativity and Collaboration: Pilchuck Glass School's 30 Years, Seattle Center, USA

            Light Impressions, Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR, USA

            Creatures Great and Small, Chappell Gallery, Boston, MA  USA

2001    Gallery Enomoto, Osaka, Japan

            Tea Bowl Shoe, Kyohei Fujita Museum, Miyagi, Japan

            Funzione, Gallery Arte Fact, Tokyo, Japan

            Perspectives in Glass, Firehouse Gallery, Vancouver WA, USA

            15th Anniversary Exhibition, Friesen Gallery, Ketchum, ID, USA

            China International Glass Exhibition, Millennium Museum, Beijing, China

            Shanghai Fine Arts Museum, Shanghai, China

            29th Annual International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Pontiac, MI, USA

            SOFA , Marx Saunders Gallery, New York, USA

            Glass Exhibition, Galleria Silecchia, Sarasota, FL, USA

            Fabulous Fish, Dane Gallery, Nantucket, MA, USA

2002    Suntry Museum. Tokyo. Japan.

            30th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI, USA

            SOFA/Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL,USA

2003    Glass Works 2003, Toyama Shimin Plaza, Toyama, Japan

            31st International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI, USA

            SOFA/Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

            20/20 Vision, Museum of American Glass, Millville, NJ, USA

            Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2003, Cheongju, Korea

2004    Glass Art, Lad’s Gallery, Osaka, Japan

            Osaka Kogei Exhibition, Osaka, Japan

            32nd International Glass Invitational, Habatat Gallery, Royal Oak, MI, USA

            SOFA/Thomas Riley Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

            Glass Masters 2004, Shibuya Tokyu Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

            Glass Art 2004, Ginza Waco Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

            Art Palm Beach, Marx Saunders Gallery, Palm Beach, FL, USA

            Marxhausen Gallery of Art, Concordia University, Seward, NE, USA

            First Annual World Glass, William Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA, USA

            Glass Masters 2005, Shibuya Tokyu Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

2005    Arts & Ecology, Osaka University of Arts, Osaka, Japan

            Osaka Kogei Exhibition, Osaka, Japan

            Fukui Kougeisha, Fukui, Japan                                                                               

            Glass Art Energy, Art Core Museum, Kanazu, Japan                                              

            Glass Art 2005, Shibuya Tokyu Department Store, Tokyo, Japan  

            G-wings Gallery, Kanazawa, Japan

            Second Annual World Glass, William Traver Gallery, Tacoma, WA, USA

            SOFA/Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

            33rd International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI, USA

            Laura Russo Gallery, International Glass Exhibition, Portland, OR, USA

2006    Osaka Kogei Exhibition, Osaka, Japan

            SOFA/Thomas Riley Galleries, Chicago, IL, USA

            34th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI, USA

2007    CCA: A Legacy in Studio Glass, San Francisco Muesum of Craft and Design,      

            San Francisco, CA, USA

            SOFA/ Thomas Riley Galleries, Chicago, IL, USA

            35th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI, USA

            Memorial Art Glass Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan

            Masterworks Exhibition, Habatat Galleries 35th Annual International Awards

            Exhibition, Royal Oak, MI, USA

2008    Osaka Kogei Exhibition, Osaka, Japan

            Table Wear Festival 2008, Tokyo, Japan

            Art Palm Beach/ Thomas Riley Galleries, Palm Beach, FL, USA

            Hiragane Yoichi & Hiroshi Yamano Exhibition, Lads Gallery, Osaka

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