Curatorial Rationale
In the presentation of my artworks, spirituality in nature’s beauty is being explored. This is achieved through symbolism and the exploration of specific, intricate elements of nature and landscapes under the incorporation of Japanese aesthetics in each piece of artwork. The goal of these artworks is to allow viewers to not just see the surface level of the beauty presented in nature, but also feel and appreciate nature’s beauty through their hearts and souls.
To create the presence of spirituality in nature, I specifically chose colors that symbolize the four elements: air, fire, water, and earth. I wanted to use the colors white, orange & yellow, blue, and brown & green as each represents wholeness, positivity, serenity, stability & renewal, respectively, because they illustrate the power that nature holds in awakening the viewer’s awareness and understanding of the present moment through discovering the existence of a transcendental world in nature’s beauty. These colors allow the viewer to attain enlightenment of one’s self through nature.
In all of my artworks, I have used elements of Japanese aesthetics, such as Kanso (simplicity), Yūgen (mysterious grace), Seijaku (tranquility), and Miyabi (elegance) to convey zen in the beauty of nature. The use of Kanso and Miyabi in the artworks, such as “A Pair Together,” helps to present subjects in utmost pure and refined form, illustrating the essence of true beauty. It eliminates unnecessary or excessive disturbances in the viewer’s mind. The use of Yūgen creates a layer of beauty within what is explicitly shown. This evokes a sense of wonder and contemplation, enabling the viewer to become fully immersed in the captivating view. In all of my artworks, Seijaku is incorporated to produce calmness in the midst of activity. The combination of these aesthetics helps to create a well-balanced, harmonious atmosphere, while enhancing the beauty of nature.
In the exhibition, I purposely arranged my artworks from left to right, starting with specific elements in nature, such as animals, and moving on to larger perspectives in nature, such as mountain landscapes. The reason behind these arrangements is to convey a spiritual journey through an exploration in nature’s beauty. This journey enables viewers to first become appreciative of the small details in nature that are the essence of nature’s beauty. Furthermore, it allows viewers to understand the real beauty embedded in nature. All artworks are connected in a way that establishes a unique sensation of zen in the present moment that serves as a spiritual passage to the viewers’ inner soul. This passage then transports them to the alluring world presented in the landscape artworks, allowing them to deeply feel and experience nature’s beauty to a greater extent. I decided to start the arrangement with two animal artworks, “Koi Fish” and “A Pair Together” as each are the representations of two important elements that make up the beauty of nature: freedom and quietness, respectively. Next, I placed “Sweet Home in the Countryside” as the aura of the koi fish and a pair of birds are present in the painting. The water current in the first painting and the subjects (fish and birds) can be found in the scene of the painting when the viewer imagines a river in the foreground of the landscape and birds in the grass field. I placed “Time in Nature” next because the combined sections of the sky, wooden wall, and trees in this photomontage are elements broken down from the previous painting. The next three paintings that followed were “Life in the Moment”, “At Evening,” and “Views of Mountains,” respectively. I placed “Life in the Moment” after the photomontage because the photomontage is represented as a time warp, where it transports the viewer, who has now fully understood and appreciated the beauty of nature through their soul, into the ethereal world of peace. “At Evening” was followed because it served as a good time transition from the previous mountain landscape during the day. At the end of my arrangement, I placed “Views of Mountains” because the painting was a fitting conclusion to the exhibition as it displayed three distinct beauties of nature in different time & seasons. When one has taken time to use their soul to understand and appreciate nature’s beauty, they will soon discover and realize that impermanence is the ultimate beauty in nature. Although, the form of beauty will alter as time changes, the true essence of its beauty will never change. The forms of changes that occur in nature are the extensions of growth from its previous stage of beauty.