NORIKO TOMITA
Fiber Artist
I encountered fiber art while studying dyeing and weaving at university. In my case, the materials I mainly use in my work are everyday items, but in fiber art, thread-like things are considered fibers, so I use a wide range of materials, including paper made from pulp, and even metal, and I'm not limited to just thread. Regarding everyday items, I personally believe they strongly reflect a country's aesthetic sense and national character, making them a fascinating subject for me.
My creative process begins by having an interest in all kinds of things, which lead me to create by hand through trial and error. I have consistently focused on the relationship between materials and techniques in my work, thinking that this leads to bringing out the essence of the materials.
At the same time, by engaging with materials in my daily life, I hope to explore the 'when the textile is born,' rather than being confined solely to conventional textile production methods like weaving and knitting.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Tokyo, Japan
-Awards
・Selected for a funded residency program The Farm Margaret River, Australia, 2026
・Selected as a 2025 Fellow Akademie Schloss Solitude in the Visual Sphere of Practice, Germany, 2025
・Won TXT Prize 2017 in The 19th International Mini Textile Exhibition "Nearby-Faraway", Slovakia, 2017
・Won Second Place in "Small Expressions", the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. (HGA), USA, 2013
・Won "Special Award" in The 8th International Biennial of Textile Miniatures "Thoughts -that is...", Lithuania, 2013
・Won "Excellent works" in The 6th International Mini Textile Exhibition, Ukraine, 2013
・Won Second Prize in The 3rd International Contemporary Textile Art Competition "Continere", Belgium, 2011
・Invited to Awashima Artist in Residence, Japan, 2011
-Teaching Experience
・Invited as a visiting lecturer, Da-Yeh University, Taiwan, 2012
-Publications
・Shuttle SPINDLE & DYEPOT (HGA), USA, 2013
・LA PALABRA y el HOMBRE, Mexico, 2011
・Textile Forum Magazine "Como-Miniartextil", 2010
-Education
・M.F.A., Textile Design Course, Tama Art University, Japan, 2010
・B.F.A., Textile Design Course, Tama Art University, Japan, 2007
-Selected Exhibitions, Artist in Residences, others
・Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany, 2025
・Weave Wave, FX Gallery and Central Slovakian Gallery, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, 2025
・Contemporary Textile Art Biennial Contextile Artistic Residencies, Portugal, 2024
・Desert 23°S (La Wayaka Current), the Atacama Desert, Chile, 2023
・12 Baltic Mini Textile Gdynia 2022, Gdynia City Museum, Paland, 2022-2023
・Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, Niigata, Japan, 2022
・Textile Art of Today, Danubiana Art Museum, Slovakia, toured Hungary, Czech and Poland, 2018-2019
・TXT Prize 2017 in 20th International Mini Textile Exhibition, Slovakia, 2018
・Contemporary Textile Art Biennial Contextile, Guimarães, Portugal, 2016
・Setouchi Triennale, Awashima Marine Museum, Japan, 2016
・The 5th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial Diversity&Unity, Latvia, 2015
・Tama Art University 80th Anniversary 1935-2015, Japan, 2015
・BankART Artist-in-Residence, Yokohama, Japan, 2015, 2019, 2021
・The 10th International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art Scythia 10, Ukraine, 2014
・Rokko Meets Art, Japan, 2014
・TEXTILE PRESENT" Akibatamabi 21, Tokyo, Japan, 2012
・The 6th Biennial International Textile Art World Textile Art, Mexico, 2011
・The Japan Contemporary Fiber Art Exhibition, Tama Art University Museum, 2011
・The 3rd International Contemporary Textile Art Competition Continere, Belgium, 2011
・Como-Miniartexil, Italy, 2010, 2013, 2020
・Valcellina Award 2009 /2011, Italy, 2010, 2012