I am Content with What I Lack – The Poetics of Japanese Gardens

The Japan America Society of Houston (JASH) is pleased to announce its inaugural art exhibition, I am Content with What I Lack – The Poetics of Japanese Gardens, at 4411 Montrose.  Opening Reception Friday, September 11 from 6pm – 8 pm.  On view September 11 through 19, 2015.

Featuring the works of three Japanese artists and a Japanese landscape architect, all from Houston, I am Content with What I Lack–The Poetics of Japanese Gardens is inspired by the phrase “ware tada taru (wo) shiru (I am content with what I lack)” inscribed on a stone water basin (tsukubai) in the gardens of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto.

The evocative expression reinforces Zen Buddhist philosophy regarding humility and emptiness, and encapsulates the primary role of the Japanese garden: to provide a place of solitude and transcendence from the mundane world.

Curated by Christine Starkman, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Asian Art Curator, Gallery F will be transformed into a space of contemplation and meditation through the creation of an idealized landscape incorporating garden design, pottery, sculpture, and paper by Japanese artists residing in Houston.

Artists:

Keiji Asakura, Japanese Garden Design, 2015

Terry Hagiwara, Tea Bowls, 2005-Present, stoneware with glaze

Mari Omori, akari/paper lantern, 2009, mino washi paper, archival paste, metal, and lighting fixture

Masaru Takiguchi, Night Ocean, 1995, Brazilian black granite