ABSTRACT SPIRITUALITY
-chaired by Gregg Baker & curated by Virginie Gourin-

This exhibition brings together artworks which embody ‘abstract spirituality’ from different places and times. Over the centuries, artists from numerous cultures have strove to express transcendental ideas via physical forms through their relentless creative endeavours, connecting mankind with spirit. It is not surprising therefore that many have chosen an artistic idiom of abstraction to materialise the metaphysical concept of spirituality.

A case in point is the Japanese post-war artist Suda Kokuta (1906-1990). Realising the essence of Eastern philosophy and Zen is not something of concrete form, he produced abstract paintings from the 1950s to the ‘70s in an attempt to express this intangible universe. The same can be said of many works produced by artists form Africa, Oceania and other parts of Asia.

In presenting them side by side, we hope to convey how abstraction and spirituality are universal: the powerful, inspiring works shown here create a dialogue which transcends time and space.

Suda Kokuta produced both figurative and abstract painting as well as calligraphic works. However diverse his styles were, one can recognise the distinctively powerful and vigorous lines within his work. Indeed, he paid special attention to ‘the line’ from the beginning and often mentioned their importance while establishing his theory of abstract art. He considered lines to be a kind of universal language and effectively a self-portrait of the artist. What especially intrigued him were those drawn by children. For him, children’s lines are innocent and free from any conventional rules, qualities which Suda strove to achieve throughout his career and creative process.

Texture was an important element in Suda’s work. His oil paintings incorporate thin or thickly applied impasto, often using mixed-media; extreme variations in surface are materialised through unconventional materials, such as sand, pebbles, glass dust and sawdust, or burlap stuffed with newspaper and sewn to create an undulating surface. In the creative process, he uses not only brushes to paint but also various tools, including palette knives, combs, rollers and reeds, with which he draws lines, scratches the surface and pushes the canvas from the front and the reverse, achieving a sculptural quality. His works on paper are no exception. Layering multiple Japanese washi paper, he applies gouache, mineral pigments and various materials; he also scores the surface with sharp utensils or adds indentations with various tools, producing hollows and reliefs. The final result can vary from rough sparkling textured minerals to a smooth ceramic like surface.

Suda is known to have studied Zen philosophy with great passion and is said to have had an almost priest-like demeanour. The artist regarded his painting studio as a dojo, a word referring to a sacred hall where Zen Buddhists practice meditation or a training hall for martial arts. The studio was his spiritual battlefield: with intense concentration both mentally and physically, he strove to transfer his inner philosophy onto the canvas. Always pushing himself to the limit, he endeavoured to impart spiritual freedom in his work, with the resultant works being the embodiment of his philosophy, charged with an enduring, magnetic power.