photo Otto Snoek
photo Jannes Linders
photo Toni Burgering
The artwork
Sculptor Shinkichi Tajiri spent decades creating works of art in knot form. The Knot became his trademark in the 1990s. Various meanings have been attributed to The Knot. For example, for some it symbolizes connection, embrace, harmony and for others it symbolizes a difficult situation, an awkward issue, problem or struggle. For still others, it represents a magical symbol or tensile strength.
In Japanese culture, the knot is central to the erotic bondage cult. Says the sculptor, “I want people to be able to give their own meaning to my artworks. With my ‘knots’ I want to make a clear statement, provide immediate communication between work and viewer. The knot is a fascinating form of power and understandable to everyone. It doesn’t matter whether I place a knot in Tokyo or in the Brazilian jungle.”
In 1976, The Knot was purchased as a gift to Amro Bank from the contractors of the new building. The sculpture was unveiled on October 18 1976. Due to long-term work on the Coolsingel, The Knot was temporarily placed in the garden of CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk in 2018. Since January 2021, the sculpture has been back on the Coolsingel.
