WABI-SABI  
ROLF LORENZ  
 
 
 
   
OPENING RECEPTION
17 SEPTEMBER 2009

SIN SIN ANNEX
53 SAI STREET, CENTRAL, HONG KONG
   
   
EXHIBITION DURATION
17 SEP - 10 OCT, 2009
 
   
EXHIBITION ADDRESS
SIN SIN ANNEX
53 SAI STREET, CENTRAL, HONG KONG
+ 852 2334 9423
 
 
Asian Art
Twine, 2009, Charcoal on paper, 91cm x 91cm



Sin Sin Fine Art is delighted to present "Wabi-sabi", a solo exhibition by London artist Rolf Lorenz, from 17 September onwards. A series of works on paper by charcoal and mixed media, inspired by the Japanese "Wabi-sabi" (the imperfectness and impermanence of things), explores into the traditional Japanese aesthetics in the form of Western representation, resulting in a mesmerizing semi-abstract landscape of earth tone grass fields and entwined organic structures which is soothing in its tranquil roughness.

Wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty and it occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West. If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi. It nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.

"The concept of Wabi-sabi (of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete), has inspired me to work with charcoal and earth pigments on paper, both gifts form nature,” says the artist. “The shapes and textures drawn and simulated by hand are reflections of man’s imperfect nature and purity. I choose to reflect on the impermanence of existence, the fields of grasses, all of which die to be reborn in the spring, the slow but beautiful decay of wooden twine and branch, the abstract, almost incongruous, yet perfect shapes created by nature. Even the perfection of a metal forged structure must one day return to its natural element, no matter what disguise it hides within. Man himself must one day be reduced to ashes to merge once again with life's endless cycle."



Sin Sin Fine Art 將於9月17日起舉行倫敦藝術家Rolf Lorenz的個人展覽"Wabi-sabi"《侘‧寂》,當中將展出一系列以炭筆及混合素材創作的畫作。這個系列的靈感來源是傳統日本美學中的「侘寂」(音譯 "Wabi-sabi",大致解作「不完美的、短暫的」),並以西方藝術的手法深入探討演繹這個傳統東方美學概念,形成了一個包含了泥土褐色系的草原和相互交纏的有機結構的魅惑的半抽象景象,粗糙的寂寥感讓人看着感覺安寧。

說到日本美學,「侘寂」是最著名及最具代表性的,它在日本各家傳統美學中所佔的地位可謂等同於古希臘所提倡的理想的美和完美主義在西方美學裡所佔的位置。當一物件或表現能夠從在我們之內帶出一種平靜的憂鬱和一種精神上的渴求,它就說得上是「侘寂」了。「侘寂」包含了所有真實的事物,並指出一個簡單的真理:世上沒有一件事物是永恆、完成、完美的。

「『侘寂』這個概念引發了我去以炭筆及含有泥土成份的顏料在紙上創作,它們都是大自然給我們的禮物。」Rolf Lorenz如是說。「以手刻畫模擬出來的形狀和質感反映了人類不完美的本質和純潔。我選擇了思索存在的短暫,例如那些草原上的草,它們都會枯死,然春風吹又生;又如那些緩慢而漂亮的枯萎中的枝幹;又或那些大自然創造的抽象的、幾乎不協調但完美的形狀。即使一個完美的金屬結構,不管它藏於甚麼樣子的外觀下,總有一天都會回歸它原本的元素。人總有一天會回歸塵土,跟生命源源不息的循環再一次融合。」