ATSUNOBU KATAGIRI: ARTIST AND IKEBANA MASTER

Known for his contemporary approach to the use of plants and flowers, Katagiri combines traditional creative aspects with current issues in his work.

In his “Sacrifice” project, the outcome of his experience as a guest artist for the Japanese Government Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Hama-dori, Naka-dori & Aizu Tri-Regional Culture Collaboration Project (2013)”, the artist moved to the city of Minamisoma, in Fukushima, a region affected by the great 2011 earthquake. There, Katagiri was gripped by conflicting emotions, since while observing the recent destruction, he noticed nature resuming its growth, re-encountering a native flower species that had disappeared due to human action. In that environment, he collected and created exuberant floral arrangements and used the ruins as a backdrop, as if trying to represent this regeneration.

His installation occupies the ground floor at Japan House São Paulo, where the glass wall will be covered with images of flowers from various origins, which were selected, scanned, and enlarged by the artist himself, giving the space a more intimate, welcoming atmosphere. Visitors will find an environment featuring a variety of plants, flowers, and substrates, such as moss, for example, a type of vegetation that requires little maintenance. As essential elements in forests and gardens in Japan, they represent beauty, simplicity, and sophistication, as well as the aesthetics of wabi-sabi (transience and imperfection).

“Nature is where we came from and where we are going. It is not only essential for the existence of any living being, but also for our sanity. With Katagiri’s works, natural elements bring us into direct contact with our thoughts, the world within us, and help us rediscover our sense of wellbeing, almost like being inside a temple. In essence, it is a means of connecting and understanding the magnitude of this relationship, but it is also a warning about its fragility and finitude. After all, we are nature”, remarks Japan House São Paulo Cultural Director and exhibition curator Natasha Barzaghi Geenen.