2026
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3rd Edition
For its third edition, the Mingei Bamboo Prize takes on a new dimension: from 1 to 13 September 2026, the fourteen finalist works are presented at the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, in the Jacques Kerchache Reading Room. Selected from numerous submissions, they reflect the vitality and ongoing renewal of contemporary bamboo art in Japan.
On 11 September, a jury chaired by Emmanuel Kasarhérou, President of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, will select the winner of the Mingei Bamboo Prize 2026. Endowed with €5,000 by Galerie Mingei, the prize rewards a Japanese artist, or an artist residing in Japan, who uses bamboo as their primary medium.
An Audience Award, endowed with €3,000 and jointly funded by Galerie Mingei and Parcours des Mondes, will also be presented. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are invited to vote for their favourite work using a QR code available in the exhibition space.
This third edition is organised by Galerie Mingei, in collaboration with the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and Parcours des Mondes.
A Prize Dedicated to Contemporary Bamboo Art
For more than ten years, Galerie Mingei has worked to promote and foster recognition of Japanese bamboo art in Europe. Rooted in a long history of bamboo basketry and weaving, this art form is undergoing a profound renewal today: while mastering techniques passed down through generations, contemporary artists are expanding the expressive possibilities of bamboo and establishing it as an artistic medium in its own right.
This recognition was notably strengthened by the exhibition “Fendre l’air. Art du bambou au Japon” (Fendre l’air. Art of Bamboo in Japan), presented at the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in 2018–2019 at the initiative of Galerie Mingei. The exhibition played a major role in introducing French audiences to the richness and creativity of this art form, whose international recognition has continued to grow ever since.
Created as part of this ongoing momentum, the Mingei Bamboo Prize aims to support contemporary creation in bamboo, encourage artists and strengthen their long-term visibility in France and internationally. The diversity of the fourteen works selected in 2026, ranging from forms rooted in basketry to more sculptural explorations, illustrates the remarkable vitality of this artistic field.
The first edition, held in 2021, was awarded to Tanabe Chikuunsai IV for Disintegrated Bamboo Daruma, while Yonezawa Jirō received the Guimet – Mingei Audience Award for Red Fossil 20-3, a work subsequently acquired by the Musée Guimet. In 2023, Hayashi Jyunpei won the second edition with Ryusen, while Ichikawa Youna received the Parcours des Mondes – Mingei Audience Award for Baika sōshun.
With this third edition hosted by the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, the Mingei Bamboo Prize continues its mission: to support a new generation of artists while helping to establish contemporary Japanese bamboo art as a lasting presence on the international art scene.
