One of the world’s most exquisite art forms is taking center stage in San Francisco.
The Asian Art Museum is currently displaying works by the recipients of the 2026 Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes in its Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Gallery.
The Coffland Grand Prize went to Japanese artist Ōki Toshie (b. 1976) for her 2025 piece “Pure Spring,” crafted from bamboo, rattan, and lacquer — a work of breathtaking precision. In a historic turn for the competition, six of the seven finalists were women, signaling a vibrant new chapter for the art form.
The museum is the perfect home for this celebration: it houses one of the world’s largest collections of Japanese bamboo art, carrying forward the legacy of collector Lloyd Cotsen, whose Cotsen Bamboo Prize (2000–2004) championed contemporary bamboo artists.
For anyone who loves craft, patience, and the quiet magic of handmade beauty, this is a San Francisco must-see.
Photo: Kubo Takashi, courtesy of The Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes Committee
