Upcoming Solo Exhibition: 花狩り | Hunting for Flowers
This August, I'll be exhibiting a new series of work, inspired by a hobby, or perhaps, a survival instinct I've developed over the past few years. It's called 花狩り, which translates in English as "flower hunting". Here in Japan, it's considered a national pastime, and thankfully, there are many places where one can do this year round, on a free day with a little time for travel.
When I visited California last year, I made it a point to be outside as much as possible. I ate breakfast and read my bible in the backyard at my parent's house as the hummingbirds blurred by the dozens at the edges of my periphery. The poor things were dying of thirst after the wildfires of the year prior.
I walked everywhere. Picked loquats growing over the neighbor's walls on my way to the nearby nature trail; let the California chaparral envelop my senses so completely; humble sage, flaming indian paintbrush, those fierce little morning glories. When I'm homesick, I close my eyes and let every bloom, every wing, every leaf I see remind me that home is not that far away.
Being in a new country is like re-learning the language of the earth. What I find astounding about nature in Japan is that its patterns are found all over textiles, design motifs, and color schemes all throughout its cultural history. When I visit a garden, I see, un-abstracted, the inspiration behind much of the art and design I've enjoyed for much of my life.
I'm a firm believer in the healing power of beauty. I pursue it as a discipline, to train my eyes to understand the raceme and the cyme as they unfold in their perfect numeric sequences. I can feel the effect of it on my mind as I transfer what I've seen outside when I'm back in the studio. There is a music that only the hummingbirds know: it's written on every petal. It's unending praise.
The exhibition will be at the gallery space of Q.O.L. Coffee in Nagoya, from Saturday, August 3rd to Sunday, August 25th. Please come and enjoy.
תגובות