Ms. Hiroko Kimura was invited to Helsinki by the Sinebrychoff Art Museum to take part in an exhibition on the theme "Daughters of The Sun Goddess - Japanese Femininity" inspired by The Sun Goddess in traditional Japanese culture.
The museum (till the 17th of May) hosts five currently working Japanese female printmakers as well as Ms. Kimura: Toko Shinoda, Naoko Matsubara, Mayumi Oda, Nana Shiomi and Reika Iwami. Beside mentioned artists, a collection of 600 woodblock prints dating back to the 16:th century are exhibited, all depicting women in daily life as in more formal situations. Cosmetics and items related to the work of geisha are also displayed. A large room in the very tastefully designed exhibition is dedicated to the art of teamaking (Cha-do), showing various objects used in tea cermony, as well as a sample tea room being built for the occation.
Ending the day of opening festiviteies, Ms. Hiroko Kimura used one of her largest brushes to write a work sized 1,5 x 9 m: "Amaterasu Omikami", the actual name of the Sun Goddess, as well as "Iroha Uta" (a poem using all of the Japanese "hiragana" syllable characters (all but "n") only once), and a poem by Ono no Komachi, one of the more well known and enjoyed Japanese female poets. Both of the calligraphed poems invites us to go beyong the surface of life and thus transcend life's suffering, and are great examples of how Buddhist notions were blended into daily life in old Japan.
Before leaving the museum Ms. Kimura left a sanctifying paper clip used in traditional Japanese devotions, thus establishing a relation between the written work presented to the museum, and the actual realm of the divine.
The visit in Helsinki was all very well hosted by the museum and Ms. Kimura kindly thanks all friends and students who helped her in all ways making her participation
a success.
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