Scottish basketmaker and fibre artist Anna King heads for Japan this month to visit the exhibition ‘Contained Spaces: the world at her fingertips’.

The exhibition shows work by four basketmakers from four countries: Gabatsholwe Ntwe from Botswana, Hisako Sekijima from Japan, Manimegalai Manickam from India and Anna from Scotland.

It opened in Scotland earlier this year, and has now arrived south of Tokyo at the Hiratsuka Art Gallery in Heratsuka, Japan where it stays until 26 September 2004. 

Exhibition curator Pravina Khilnani King explains “It was imperative that the exhibition was displayed at venues within each of the countries represented.  All too often, artists and makers from the South – the developing world – who have had their work shown outside their own countries, in the North, do not get the chance to have it shown at home. 

“I wanted there to be symmetry in the experience.  It was also important that both practitioners and wider audiences in each of the artists’ countries got the opportunity to experience basketry in an international setting.”

She said “The exhibition has been going extremely well in Japan.  The two basketmakers from India and Botswana were there giving demonstrations and taking part in other activities.  I had the opportunity to work with a range of people interested in the arts/crafts as well as have lengthy discussions with some Japanese basketmakers.”

During her visit Anna will be doing demonstrations and teaching workshops as well as working with Japanese basketmakers.  When the other basketmakers had visited Scotland Anna had given each of them a folder of the materials she usually uses, however, there was one material she was taking with her – a bundle of pine needles.

Anna will also visit the exhibition when it is in India and Botswana to continue the cross-fertilisation of ideas and techniques between the four countries.  The exhibition visits the Habitat Art Gallery at New Delhi in India from 24 to 31 October 2004 and finally the National Museum of Botswana at Gabarone in Botswana from 25 January to 27 February 2005.

For more information visit the craftscotland review of the exhibition.