ONLINE EXHIBITION
curator’s statement
As a featured exhibition for the 2021 Louisville Photo Biennial, “Satoru: The Blossoming of Awareness” encompasses lens-based works by a diverse range of artists, both local and international, all of whom were participants in a spring virtual workshop for Nobechi Creative, conducted by Japanese-Canadian photographer George Nobechi.
Drawn from the work produced in the workshop and curated in collaboration with the artists, “Satoru: The Blossoming of Awareness” focuses on photographs that channel principles of Japanese aesthetics and philosophy, elements which are ever-present in the quiet, contemplative visual and emotional ethos of Japan. Those enrolled in the class were challenged to find resonance in their own locations as they worked to create images grounded in a set of philosophical concepts, but ensconced in a search within oneself: one life, one meaning. The photographs engage the beginning of an inward journey toward spiritual enlightenment and visual realization for the artists, but also the viewer.
The title of this exhibition directly references the noun “satori” in the Zen Buddhism of Japan, meaning the first experience of inner, intuitive enlightenment, but shifts the part of speech to a verb, signifying the ongoing quest for subsequent awareness in both artist and audience. In these images, the photographers’ initial steps on a spiritual journey are made visible; the viewer is invited to achieve satori by engaging the aesthetic principles frozen in the work, then beyond the walls of the gallery space. Ultimately, the experience of the exhibition should lead to a renewed search for the viewer, a search in which each person seeks a lightness of being, a closeness and connection to the visual, poetic world, and an acceptance of the search for meaning.
— Dr. Brett L. Erickson
artistS’ statement
Out of the ashes of the pandemic, a phoenix rises.
Japan is built from the fires of renewal. As a country, it is prone to some of the worst natural disasters on the planet, especially earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but it is also the Earth’s active richness that has given the island nation its fertile soil, four distinct seasons and incredible beauty.
Over the centuries, its tableaux of art and culture has evolved from the duality of living in a constant state of impermanence—from the cycles of the seasons and renewal each spring, to the great and seemingly immovable mountains that nonetheless are constantly erupting and changing. Concepts like mono-no-awa-re (the pathos of things), wabi-sabi (the appreciation of imperfect things as they age and transform), ichi-go ichi-e (one lifetime, one meeting) are deeply ingrained into the traditional artistic approaches.
As the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, the life and freedom we tended to take for granted begged for a new perspective, and these Japanese ideas offered a pathway towards a meaningful appreciation of the world around us. Satoru is a verb meaning “to become aware.”
We are a group of photographers from Canada and the US, from high school age to retirement age, who joined together with our teacher George Nobechi, a Japanese-Canadian photographer who was our bridge for connecting both cultures, to spend a span of two months creating photographs through the simple act of becoming aware of what we see.
Through weekly get-togethers online, we explored our own worlds: from the rainy shores of Puget Sound in Washington to the sunny California beaches, the frozen snowscapes of Alberta and the farmlands of the Midwest, the misty coasts of New England and the streets of the Big Apple to the woodlands right here in Kentucky. Whether out in nature or journeying within our own homes, with our new-found sense of awareness we created work from the duality of being united by theme but born of our own respective environments.
The photographs you will see in this exhibition explore one or more of the following themes.
Koh-Itten — Red, one spot (or metaphorically one spot of “beauty” in an otherwise drab scene)
Wabi-Sabi — The beauty of imperfect and aging things and the sense of gentle lamentation we feel from them
Kodawari — Dedication to what you do; craftsmanship (in photography and in anything else)
Ichi-go-Ichi-e — One lifetime, one meeting (or the unrepeatable nature of a moment)
Natsukashii — Evoking reminiscences of fond memories
Nukumori — Capturing warmth
Mono-no Awa-re — The pathos of things, impermanence
Exhibiting Artists:
Dana Long Kim, Lisa Wissner-Slivka, Stephanie Cuneo, Joan Morse, Ward Sanderson, Mollie Hewitt, JoAnn Carney, Anne Rosen, Connor Daniels, Donna Shaw Beeman, Carolyn Courtney, Anne Henning, Gillian Peckham, Tom Walker, Elizabeth Carney, George Nobechi
koh-itten 紅一点
Anne Rosen
“Eighth Street Greenwich Village”
Photographer’s interpretation of Red One-Spot.
wabi sabi わびさび
KODAWARI こだわり
ichi-go-ichi-e 一期一会
george nobechi
“Run, Walk, Leap at the D.T. Suzuki Museum” Kanazawa, Japan
As this scene unfolded, I could scarcely believe my eyes. Here we were at the D.T. Suzuki Museum dedicated to the Zen philosopher and writer, when these boys on a school trip started in motion: one walking briskly, one running, and a third leaping across the corner of the reflecting pond to join a fourth classmate and their teacher in conversation behind the weeping willow tree. One lifetime, one meeting.
natsukashii 懐かしい
joann carney
“Grain Bins in Snow”
Twenty Eight years after we turned the corner passing these old grains bins still warms my heart. Seeing them for the first time allowed me to see into the possibility of happiness.
nukumori 温もり
mono-no awa-re もののあはれ
gillian peckham
“Bench Amongst the Doubletrunk Trees”
A wooden bench in a grove of trees with joined trunks
Louisville Photo Biennial, Asia Institute Crane House Installation Photographs (Courtesy of Gillian Peckham & Brett Erickson)
