Hiroshi Sugimoto Shedded Light on Ancient Treasures to Revive Its Vibrant Beauty

Hiroshi Sugimoto "The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit"

venue: Kasugataisha Museum @Nara city,Nara
until Mar13 , 2023

Kasuga Taisha in Nara, known as the oldest shrine in Japan, currently hosting a special exhibition collaborating　with a contemporary artist, Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Sugimoto started his career in NY as a photographer and also is an experienced antique dealer and collector. He has recently built an art complex site called the《 Enoura Weather Station 》located in Kanagawa pref. The landscape includes ancient stones, a garden, a tearoom, and a stage for noh play which embodies Sugimoto's deep appreciation of Japanese culture. He has also relocated the Kasuga spirit, building a branch shrine in Enoura to show his respect for ancient Kasuga worship.

This exhibition celebrates the establishment of the new Kasuga shrine at in Enoura and the reconstruction of the Kasuga wakamiya, a shrine that resides in the Kasuga-Taisha shrine complex in Nara.

Kasuga sacred deer with a votive plaque of bodhisattva Monju, altered by a contemporary sculpture Suda Yoshihiro

For the exhibition, Sugimoto selected treasures that have been housed in the shrine and displayed alongside his works. One of the works was a mixed-media sculpture that combines ancient treasure with contemporary wood-carving work. Although the venue is rather small, the subtle lighting plan by Sugimoto drew the viewer's eye heart deeper into the buddha statues and artifacts made around the twelfth century. He stated, "I was able to represent the ideal state of viewing. This is how I wanted to appreciate these old treasures I really love. " His sophisticated sense of beauty as a contemporary artist allows us to feel the ancient worship as if it were still vibrant.

elegant feet of eleven -headed kannon,avalokitesvara Heian period()
794-1185

With English caption
https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/en/events/-/Hiroshi-Sugimoto-The-Descent-of-the-Kasuga-Spirit/kasugataisha-museum/2022-12-23