Starting a new collection -- embracing your flaws and imperfections
The themes for my new collection have been swirling... & slowly solidifying
The idea of the Japanese art of Kintsugi
(from wikipedia)
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the maki-e technique. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
These ideas of almost 'celebrating' brokenness. To embrace the mess & broken parts of ourselves and the process has always been a running thread in my art. That it’s part of the ongoing story and unfolding journey of life (& the artwork)
For me, it is also about the idea that it is IN THE GAP and allowing that 'not enoughness' to make room for divinity.
To make space for God to show up and bridge the gap between how far we can go in our limited humaness & let God and magic and miracles to do the rest.
Allowing magic in!
Like... Is it really about brokenness -- my faith is also about 'being made new' or being 'renewed' -- is one better than the other?
Is it about getting better with age? Like the appeal of old weathered houses and interiors where it feels like there is more character in all the wrinkles, texture and layers of history in their bones?
There is also something there about scars, letting it be a visible reminder of lessons learnt and experiences you had the priviledge of going through.
Which leads me to remembering those ancient tribes that does ritualistic scaring on their male warriors for every battle they have gone through.
And the mark of celebration and status is on the MOST scared man amongst their village
I'm sure there will be more swirling and unraveling as I keep painting.