Masako Inkyo at Onishi Project January 9-18, 2014; Last Call for Mariko Mori at Japan Society closing January 12

Masako Inkyo, Wayou, 2013

The new year kicks off with the blissful serenity of Masako Inkyo's most recent Shodo works on view at Onishi Project, 521 West 26th Street.  The opening will be from 6 to 8 pm on January 9th.  Ms. Inkyo will demonstrate Shodo at 7 pm.

Onishi Projects explains Shodo in the following statement:

The history of Japanese calligraphy developed under the influence of Chinese calligraphy techniques.  As Japanese culture and social systems evolved in the mid-Heian period (around the 10th century), the renowned calligraphers Ono no Tofu, Fujiwara no Sari, and Fujiwara no Kozei established the style of calligraphy named Wayou (Lit. Japanese-style).  From then on, the tradition of Wayou became central to the history of calligraphy in Japan.

A prominent feature of Wayou is the ancient writing system named Manyogana, which employs Chinese characters to phonetically represent the Japanese language.  The characters used in Manyogana look exactly like their Chinese counterparts, but no longer carry their original meaning.  Rather, they represent the sounds of the syllables used in the Japanese language, analogous to how Hiragana and Katakana are used today.

In this exhibition shodo artist Masako Inkyo will introduce the Manyogana writing system in the form of a classic work of Japanese literature named Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji).  This work was written entirely in Manyogana by the Japanese noble woman and lady-in-making Murasaki Shikibu in the early years of the 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period.  It is sometimes called the world’s first novel, the first modern novel and the first psychological novel and presents a unique depiction of the livelihoods of high courtiers during the Heian period.

The New York Arts Exchange congratulates Masako Inkyo on her first exhibition in 2014.

Mariko Mori, Transcircle 1.1, 2004. Stone, Corian, LED, real-time control system; 132 3/8 inches diam., each stone 43 3/8 × 22 1/4 × 13 1/2 inches. Courtesy of The Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.

Mariko Mori's spiritually uplifting exhibition at Japan Society will close on Sunday, January 12th - one of the most beautiful shows of the Fall 2013 season.

Please make an effort to see both fabulous shows to ring in the new year with a feeling of peace and harmony.

Take care in this bitter cold,

Beth New York

aka Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, Ph.D.

Director

New York Arts Exchange

www.nyarts-exchange.com