Inokashira Park Zoo will be hosting a special exhibition at the museum: Art and the Zoo vol.6, "Threads, Threads, and Living Things - Haruka Kawabata Embroidery Exhibition." This will be the sixth installment of "Art and the Zoo (*)," and the venue will move from Sculpture Museum to the Museum, where the embroidery works of Haruka Kawabata will be on display.

Having studied oil painting at university, Ms. Kawabata has shifted her creative activities to stuffed animals, costumes, and embroidery, seeking textures that cannot be expressed simply by mixing colors like paint. She also has experience working as a ticket gate attendant at this park for several years, and continues to create embroidered works with animal motifs. The works that have emerged from this process are a collection of many threads of subtly different colors sewn stitch by stitch, possessing a delicate yet rough texture.

This special exhibition will feature artwork primarily of animals kept at our zoo, along with explanations of their ecology and other details. Please come and see the animals as depicted from the unique perspective of Mr. Kawabata, who has observed them firsthand at our zoo.


From left to right: Badger, Japanese Squirrel, Japanese white-eye, Japanese bush warbler, and Meadow bunting (materials: embroidery thread, fabric)
Period: January 25, 2020 (Sat) - May 31, 2020 (Sun), 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM (until the museum closes)

Location: Special exhibition hall on the 1st floor of the museum at the zoo (main park).

Exhibitor: Haruka Kawabata → Official website here

[Kawabata's Profile]
Born in Gunma Prefecture in 1990. Graduated from Tama Art University. Creates embroidered works and accessories with animal motifs, based on the theme of "works that blend into everyday life." Holds embroidery workshops irregularly. Co-authored "The Easiest Bird Embroidery" (X-Knowledge, 2018).

Related event: Workshop "Let's make a guinea pig with embroidery!"

Guinea pigs come in a variety of colors and patterns. Let's create your own unique guinea pig embroidery piece.

Date and time: Saturday, March 21, 2020
Morning session: 10:00 AM - Afternoon session: 1:30 PM - *Each session is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes long.
Location: Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, Museum, Zoo (Main Park)
Target audience: Elementary school students in 5th grade and above (Elementary school children may be accompanied by a guardian).
Capacity: 8 people per session *Advance registration required

*For details on how to apply, please see here.

*What is "Art and the Zoo"?
In the past, Inokashira Park Zoo has used a portion of its Sculpture Museum to display works by various artists in special exhibitions. In the future, we will expand these exhibitions to include the museum and other areas within the zoo, and hold them in a way that connects art with the zoo.

(January 9, 2020)
(January 28, 2020: Added link to workshop article)