Nagare VII

Kay Sekimachi, Nagare VII, 1970, woven nylon monofilament, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1972.183
Kay Sekimachi, Nagare VII, 1970, woven nylon monofilament, 8099 in. (203.222.822.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1972.183

Artwork Details

Title
Nagare VII
Date
1970
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
8099 in. (203.222.822.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
woven nylon monofilament
Classifications
Highlights
Object Number
1972.183

Artwork Description

I love the calm that my work brings to me.
--Kay Sekimachi

Nagare is the Japanese word for "flow" or "river," a reflection of Kay Sekimachi's intuitive weaving style. She first learned the fundamentals of weaving in the early 1950s at the Berkeley Adult School, where she studied fashion design. Later, at the California College of Arts and Crafts, she studied under Trude Guermonprez, a weaver trained in the German Bauhaus style that combines art and design. These courses shifted the trajectory of her career by opening her eyes to the artistic possibilities of weaving. Inspired by the structured elegance of calligraphy, origami, and lacework, Sekimachi created hanging sculptures with a multilayered weaving technique. She situated her work at the forefront of the fiber arts movement by dressing her loom with monofilament, or fishing line. The modern material allowed her to shape each woven layer by hand to create the natural effect of a rippling stream.

Verbal Description

This delicate sculpture hangs from the ceiling at almost seven feet long, with a narrow diameter of only nine inches. Created from sheer white netting, the oblong sculpture is almost transparent. Wispy tendrils of monofilament dangle in coiling curls from the sculpture’s base and drape over its top, lending it a jellyfish-like ethereality. Inside, visible through the netting, suspends a clear, horizontal ring that seems to hold the object’s shape. Layers of sheer netting appear to fuse together in some areas and fall apart in others, adding dimension to the work and creating undulating patterns like helixes or S curves. These gentle waves contribute to the airy fluidity and otherworldliness of the sculpture.

Works by this artist (7 items)

William Hunter, Golden Shell, 1994, satinwood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.24, © 1994, William Hunter
Golden Shell
Date1994
satinwood
Not on view
William Hunter, Visions, 1987, cocobolo, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jane and Arthur K. Mason, 1991.169.4, © 1987, William Hunter
Visions
Date1987
cocobolo
Not on view
Marianne Hunter, William Hunter, Africa, 1990, satinwood, ebony, 24k gold, sterling silver, fine silver, enamel, and rutilated quartz, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.27A-C, © 1990, William and Marianne Hunter
Africa
Date1990
satinwood, ebony, 24k gold, sterling silver, fine silver, enamel, and rutilated quartz
Not on view
Marianne Hunter, William Hunter, Evening Blossom, 1989, ebony, 24k gold, sterling silver, enamel, amethyst, and charoite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.26A-C, © 1989, William and Marianne Hunter
Evening Blossom
Date1989
ebony, 24k gold, sterling silver, enamel, amethyst, and charoite
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2019.15 - SAAM-2019.15_1 - 137377
Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women
May 31, 2024January 5, 2025
The artists in Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women mastered and subverted the everyday materials of cotton, felt, and wool to create deeply personal artworks.

More Artworks from the Collection

Gene Pozzesi, Untitled, ca. 1996, Gabon ebony, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.47
Untitled
Dateca. 1996
Gabon ebony
Not on view
Ron Fleming, Black Lotus, 1996, ebony, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.16
Black Lotus
Date1996
ebony
Not on view
Frederick A. Miller, Dish, 1960, hammered and engraved sterling silver with ebony, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor in memory of Dorothy S. Payer and in honor of Frederick A. Miller, 1992.107.2
Dish
Date1960
hammered and engraved sterling silver with ebony
On view
Earl Pardon, Box Ring, ca. 1960, sterling silver, ebony, ivory and amethyst, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund, 2003.20
Box Ring
Dateca. 1960
sterling silver, ebony, ivory and amethyst
Not on view