Papering over Japanese bond at landmark Adelaide exhibition
“Queen of modular origami”. Influential Japanese artist Tomoko Fuse is exhibiting in Adelaide for the first time creating the largest exhibition ever seen outside of her home country.
Influential Japanese artist Tomoko Fuse saw her exhibition opened by the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia this week, The Origami Art of Tomoko Fuse.
The event hosted by the Japan Australian Friendship Association with Adelaide University marks the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan, and is a tribute to the “strong and lasting ties of friendship” between the two nations.
Tomoko Fuse is celebrated as “the queen of modular origami”, pioneering the style. Fuse creates intricate geometric patterns and shapes by connecting multiple pieces of origami, with her work described as combining structural precision with intense sculptural beauty.
Japan Australia Friendship Association (JAFA) president Mike Dunphy says the event has been in the works for about three years, only recently coming to fruition.
“It’s very important, particularly as it’s something that the general community can enjoy. You know, for a lot of these sorts of anniversaries, there’ll be all sorts of official exchanges which the average person won’t have a chance to participate in,” Dunphy said.
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“But our organisation, being a community organisation, wanted this to be something that would be open to everybody to enjoy.”
Alongside the exhibition will be several workshops conducted by Tomoko Fuse and her team, where participants of both beginner and advanced skill levels can learn both simple and complex techniques.
“One is for advanced enthusiasts; people who’ve been creating origami for some time. The other is for beginners. And Tomoko and her team will be there for both workshops giving people hands on instruction, helping them to learn how to fold, or, in the case of the advanced people, how to create more complex structures,” Dunphy said.
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Fuse was born in Niigata Prefecture in Japan and discovered origami at the age of seven while in hospital, sparking a lifelong fascination with the art of paper folding. Since the 1980s, she has pioneered modular origami – creating intricate geometric works by connecting multiple folded units – and has continued to expand the possibilities of the medium through tessellations, spirals, and knot-based constructions.
She has written more than 100 books translated into multiple languages, and her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Milano Design Week, RMIT Design Hub Gallery, and the Echigo Tsumari Arts Triennale.
Volunteer-run JAFA paid the major portion of expenses for the event, Dunphy said.
“There’s been a lot of work, not that I’m doing all the work on my own. We’ve had an exhibition coordinator, a woman by the name of Mayumi Takayama. She’s been doing a lot of the work, communicating with the gallery equipment suppliers, there are all sorts of jobs that she’s done. So, it’s been a bit of a team effort, and we’re all looking forward to the launch tonight and hoping that lots of people are going to come along and see the beauty of Tomoko’s work,” he said ahead of Tuesday’s opening.
For Fuse, the art style is designed for connection.
“Origami provides a way for people of all generations and walks of life to connect with one another. I am delighted to share my work with the people of South Australia and encourage them to discover the joy and calm that comes through folding,” Fuse says.
The free exhibition is being held at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery on Adelaide University’s City West campus from April 7 to May 29.
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