This is not so much a landscape show as previous shows, although it will include images from our natural environment. At the end of 2022 I found myself writing poems that were a step away from what I had written in the past. They seemed not to be connected as a grouping at first sight but with further investigation a connection did reveal its self. YŪGEN seems to be an appropriate name for the show. The meaning of YŪGEN is an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics. The exact translation of the word depends on the context. In the Chinese philosophical texts the term meant, “deep” or “mysterious”. In Japanese waka poetry, it is describe as the subtle profundity of things, things that are only vaguely suggested in poetry. Yūgen is said to mean “a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe and the sad beauty of human suffering”. A perfect description of what this body of work I think is attempting to convey. The show will include new etchings and lino block prints accompanied by 10 new poems that I have written. I am also exploring the idea of creating a book in which the reader can reorder the poems and prints to change its narrative. I have also asked other artists that I know to participate to make this a group show. I'll let you know how its going giving updates as the show progresses.
