Modern Twist explores the evocative, sensual, and sculptural power of contemporary bamboo art. Bamboo is a quintessential part of Japanese culture, shaping the country's social, artistic, and spiritual landscape. Although bamboo is a prolific natural resource, it is a challenging artistic medium. There are fewer than 100 professional bamboo artists in Japan today. Mastering the art form requires decades of meticulous practice while learning how to harvest, split, and plait the bamboo. Modern Twist brings 38 exceptional works by 17 artists to U.S. audiences, displaying many of these technically innovative and imaginatively crafted works for the first time.

Since 1967, six bamboo artists have been named Living National Treasures. The Japanese government created this award after World War II in an effort to celebrate and preserve the nation's traditions and culture. Only two living bamboo artists Modern Twist's Katsushiro Soho (2005) and Fujinuma Noboru (2012)currently hold this title. In addition, Modern Twist features works by other visionary artists: Matsumoto Hafu, Honma Hideaki, Ueno Masao, Uematsu Chikuyu, Nagakura Ken'ichi, Tanabe Chikuunsai III, Tanabe Yota, Tanabe Shochiku III, Tanioka Shigeo, Tanioka Aiko, Honda Shoryu, Mimura Chikuho, Nakatomi Hajime, Sugiura Noriyoshi, and Yonezawa Jiro. Modern Twist demonstrates that in the hands of master bamboo artists, a simple grass is transformed into a sculptural art. The exhibition celebrates these artists who have helped to redefine a traditional craft as a modern genre, inventing unexpected new forms and pushing the medium to groundbreaking levels of conceptual, technical, and artistic ingenuity. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Andreas Marks, Director and Chief Curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, Hanford, California.