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About Tsubasa Kimura

Tsubasa Kimura

Calligrapher, Artist, and Font Creator

Born in Osaka and raised in Kyoto, Kimura studied calligraphy from an early age and later pursued advanced research on Bokuseki (Zen calligraphic works) at the Graduate School of Kyoto University of Education. After initial activities within the calligraphy community and professional service as a transcription scribe at Nishi Hongan-ji Temple, she began to cultivate her own distinctive artistic practice.

Since 2009, she has been creating “Bird Brush” works, using self-crafted brushes made from bird feathers to develop an original mode of calligraphy. Her large-scale installations, which liberate writing into space, have been recognized as pioneering contributions to the field both in Japan and abroad.

Her work has been presented internationally at institutions and events including MOA, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (Canada), Festival Asia (Spain), the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (Italy), and Casa de Cultura in Buenos Aires (Argentina). In Japan, her exhibitions and projects have been held at venues such as the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art (as an invited artist), the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, and Myoshin-ji Temple.

Currently based in Kyoto, Kimura engages in a wide range of activities encompassing artistic production, writing, font design, and calligraphy education.

The following is a selection of representative activities. For a full record, please contact us.

Major Exhibitions & Performances

2017 — TRACES OF WORDS: Art and Calligraphy of Asia (Invited Artist)
　MOA, Museum of Anthropology at UBC (Vancouver, Canada)
2012 — Festival Asia (Invited Artist)
　Barcelona, Spain (Organized by the Japan Foundation, Madrid)
2012 — Calligraphy Performance
　Palazzo Vecchio (Florence, Italy) [Supported by the City of Kyoto]
2011 — Words of Time, Words of Traces: Artists from Japan (Invited Artist)
　Casa de Cultura (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
2008 — Solo Exhibition 10th Calligraphy Show
　Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Hyogo, Japan)

Awards

2015 — Excellence Prize, Zhengti Chinese Character World Calligraphy Competition (Ministry of Culture, Taiwan)
2000 — Special Prize, Heilongjiang Seal Engraving & Calligraphy Exhibition (China)

Collections

Yale University Art Gallery (USA)
Rostock Museum of Art (Germany)
Myoshin-ji Temple (Kyoto, Japan)

Selected Activities

2018 — 5th Tsubasa Kimura Calligraphy School Exhibition, Accent Museum (Osaka, Japan)
2012 — World Calligraphy Journey Workshops and lectures in the USA, Spain, and Italy
2017 — TRACES OF WORDS Related Workshop
　MOA, Museum of Anthropology at UBC (Vancouver, Canada)
2011 — Words of Time, Words of Traces Related Workshop
　Casa de Cultura (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

MOA

Opening performance at TRACES OF WORDS, MOA
Collaboration with cellist Maria

Centre d’Art Cal Massó

University of Montana

Gonzaga University

Japan Cultural Center, Madrid

World Calligraphy Journey
Exhibitions, performances, workshops, and lectures in the USA, Spain, and Italy
　Highlights:
　- Workshop at Centre d’Art Cal Massó (Spain)
　- Workshop at Japan Cultural Center, Madrid (Spain, Japan Foundation)
　- Lecture at Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA, USA)
　- Lecture at University of Montana (Missoula, USA)

5th Tsubasa Kimura Calligraphy School Exhibition, Accent Museum (Osaka, Japan)

Press & Media (Selected)

2009 — Letter Arts Review (USA), Featured article
2018 — Canadian Museums Association Magazine, Cover photo (performance)
2017–present — Nara Newspaper, Serial essay “Calligraphy in Everyday Life”
2008 — Kyoto Shimbun, “Shunna Hito” front-page feature
2011 — Leading local newspaper in Argentina, Front-page photo feature (related to Words of Time, Words of Traces)

(Supplement)

2008 — Ryukoku University bulletin Ryukokujin, Profile article on alumni achievements
2007 — Creativity and Cultural Improvisation (Oxford: Berg), Contribution