International ink painting exhibition announcement
The 21st International Art Exhibition (Art beyond boundaries) for ink artists from around the world is opening today. From January 25 until February 5, you can see the latest in contemporary ink at the National Art Center Tokyo.
This year I bring a new piece from the Kanazawa in Winter series to the show – “Night Rain”.
The Eight Views of Kanazawa in Winter Series
For four years now, I have been capturing the beauty of Kanazawa and Ishikawa prefecture with my brushes. A mix of studies and smaller scale works continue to support the development of a landscape series.
This series follows a very traditional format in ink painting – the Eight Views (八景). Usually this format showcases eight locations in a region through four seasons of the year. However, I have narrowed the focus of my version to the winter season. I am aiming to achieve a similar variety of landscape scenes from within the boundaries of a single season. It has its challenges, but they continue to be exciting ones.
For those of you familiar with the “Eight Views” topic, perhaps from woodblock prints or temple sliding doors, you will recall that the themes in this group are fixed, as follows:
Clearing Weather, Autumn Moon, Descending Geese, Night Rain, Evening Glow, Evening Bell, Returning Sails, Evening Snow
Since our series is restricted to winter, “Autumn Moon” has been replaced with a “Winter Moon” scene. All other themes will remain the same.
In 2022 I brought “Clearing Weather at Higashichaya” and “Winter Moon at Kanazawa Castle” to Tokyo. In 2023 “Descending Geese at the Eastern Gate of Oyama Shrine”.
Some of the themes will be easy to identify visually, others will be more metaphorical. “Winter Moon” was clearly among the first, “Descending Geese” the second.
about “Night Rain at Kenrokuen”
This year, I present to you “Night Rain” from Kenrokuen, one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan. While everyone eagerly waited for snow to cover the “yukizuri”, on the winter night I visited heavy rain only was everyone’s companion. This was the first scroll in the series I was able to paint in Japan, after a long three-year absence. Thank you once more to Kobayashi Tohun Sensei for his patience and support in Tokyo last summer. Thank you ever so much to everyone in Japan who continues to support the hanging of the ever growing number of works for this international exhibition.
It is January 2024, and while you are looking at this scene, I have already started working for next year’s exhibition on one of the four remaining themes here in Zurich. If you happen to visit the Tokyo exhibition, please share a photo and tag me. I’m very much looking forward to seeing photos from visitors.
If you cannot visit, my discussion with Dave Bull on the process behind this work live from Tokyo is now archived here .
A message of support
This year, to my sadness and the distress of thousands in the region, a large earthquake hit Ishikawa prefecture, striking through the heart of Noto peninsula. I had the chance to visit Noto in the summer 2023. Three weeks after the May earthquake it was very clear from that damage that Noto city alone at least would not be able to withstand a stronger event within the coming 12 months. My heart and I’m sure yours too was heavy on the afternoon of January 1st and the weeks since. As an artist the best I can do is remain steadfast in my appreciation for the region’s beauty and hope the positive thoughts of ink brushstrokes can be carried across to the viewer.
For those visiting Tokyo this year that is my wish – that you enjoy the serenity and human warmth potential from a deep winter night in Snow Country, and if you are able to, please support ongoing rescue and rebuilding efforts in the area to your best ability.
Rebuilding will take a long time (current total damages estimates at 7.5 to 17.6 billion USD). Making a donation, buying products from the region and staying in touch with your local acquaintances are all valid ways of helping if you are not in the area. I had three donation suggestions for people from overseas I posted early on through my social accounts, shared with me by trusted connections in Japan.
Mafalda Tenente is an ink painting artist and art book author living in Zurich, Switzerland. Her latest book “Autumn in Japan” is currently touring Switzerland with “The Most Beautiful Swiss Books” exhibition, including all 2022 book design award nominees and winners. A new fiction short story volume is due for release in summer 2024.
More at https://mafaldatenente.com or @mtenente
How to visit
All the exhibition details available in the image at the top of this post and at:
https://www.nact.jp/english/exhibition_public/ (English), venue 2A
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