What does it mean to have an exhibition in France? That's because I think France is the country where you can best understand the beauty of Japanese culture, which combines strength and delicacy.

The theme of 渡部裕子 Hiroko Watanabe's exhibition in Paris, France, in November 2024 is “the universe…Circle, Triangle, Square". All of her works will contain some of these elements. In discussing this theme, we cannot help but mention the works of 仙厓義梵 Sengai Gibon (1750-1837), a Zen monk who existed during the Edo period. First of all, in the Zen language of “circle, triangle, and square,” the circle is the circular phase. It is the absolute truth or state of being that never lacks, and refers to everything that exists in the universe. The triangle is the form in which we sit in 座禅zazen (the form in which we wish to become closer to the Buddha), and the square is the form in which we are foolishly caught up in something such as common sense. However, the environment surrounding us is completely different now from the time when Gihon Sengai's works were painted, and all the time we need to think about these three elements has been taken up by “information” that we don't need. It seems as if all the value of our time has been taken up by useless information, much of which is unnecessary.

The time we spend thinking about things we don't need is the same as the time we spend dying. Now, in 2024, unlike the time when Gibon Sengai was drawing, special ink and calligraphy paper manufacturing techniques have improved, and even the same subject matter can be expressed in a way that brings out even more emotion, Even the same subject matter can now be expressed in a way that brings out even more emotional feelings. Unlike the traditional calligraphy works, which are simply transcriptions of multiple sentences, the “circle, triangle, square” and “one-character calligraphy” (calligraphy using only one Chinese character) (the origins of which date back to 井上有一 Yuichi Inoue 1916-1985, a pioneer of one-character calligraphy who began creating avant-garde calligraphy in reaction to the conservative calligraphy world) are beautifully fused together. Her works, which are a beautiful fusion of the two, can be said to be a catalyst for us to step away from our everyday selves and reconsider the reason for our existence.

フランスで展覧会を開く意味は、強さと繊細さを併せ持つ日本文化の美しさを一番理解できる国がフランスだと思うからである。まずテーマの説明をしよう。

渡部裕子が2024年11月に、フランスパリでおこなう展覧会のテーマは「丸・三角・四角」である。すべての作品にその要素の一部が、必ず含まれている。このテーマを話すにあたって、江戸時代に存在した禅僧の仙厓義梵（せんがいぎぼん1750-1837)の作品を語らずにはいられない。まず、禅で言うところの「丸・三角・四角」は、丸は円相。欠けることのない絶対的な真理や境地であり、宇宙に存在する全てのものを指す。三角は我々が座禅をする姿(佛に近づきたいと願う形)、四角は常識など何かにとらわれている愚かな姿である。ただし、仙厓義梵の作品が描かれた時代と今とは我々を取り巻く環境はまったく異なり、その三つの要素について考える為の必要な時間は、すべて必要のない「情報」に奪われてしまっている。多くは必要のないくだらない情報が、すべての価値をにぎっているかのようである。

必要のないことを考える時間は、死んでいる時間と同じと言えよう。われわれは、われわれが宇宙に奇跡的に存在するその価値と、なにか意味のないものにとらわれている自分を日々認識することによって、更に生きている価値を実感できるようになる。2024年のいま、仙厓義梵が描いていた時代と異なり、特殊な墨や書道紙の製造技術の向上があり、同じ題材であっても、より一層情緒的な感情を引き出すことができるための表現が可能になったのだ。伝統的な書道作品にありがちな、多文を書き写すだけの臨書作品と異なり、「丸・三角・四角」と「一字書」(漢字一字だけの書)(起源は、保守的な書道界に対する反発から前衛的な書道を制作するようになった一字書の第一人者=井上有一1916-1985にさかのぼる)とを美しく融合させた渡部裕子の作品群は、日常の自分自身と離れ、人間の存在理由を考え直すための、きっかけとなる作品と言えよう。

We are posting some of the contemporary calligraphy works scheduled to be exhibited in Paris in 2024.

Partial excerpt

Until now, I have held solo exhibitions at galleries in Japan and abroad, and exhibited my works at art salons. Japan, New York, France, Australia, Greece, etc. Please take a look at the atmosphere that decorates the works.

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