Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam is a Japanese-Canadian textile artist born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1940. She is internationally known for creating large, colourful crocheted sculptures and nets that serve as playgrounds for children.
She studied Fine Arts at the Tama Fine Art Institute in Tokyo and later earned a master’s degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in the United States in 1966. During the 1970s, she began experimenting with large-scale textile sculptures.
An important moment in her career occurred when she saw children playing on one of her artworks. This inspired her to design sculptures that people could not only look at, but also touch, climb, and explore.
Her installations are mainly made from hand-knotted and crocheted nylon ropes. Her work combines art, design, architecture, and play while encouraging imagination and social interaction.
Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam is considered an important figure in contemporary textile art because she transformed traditional weaving and crochet techniques into monumental and interactive artistic spaces.
