Japan House São Pauloトピックス
Shiro: spectrum of shades
Curated by the institution’s Cultural Director, Natasha Barzaghi Geenen, the exhibition explores the many shades and meanings of white in Japan through four elements—paper, silk, snow, and salt—
The symbolism of the color white in Japanese culture
Japan is home to a unique color tradition known as Nihon no dentōshoku (freely translated as “traditional colors of Japan”). Within this rich chromatic culture, white holds a special place, evoking concepts such as peace, purification, lightness, silence, and even precision, reflecting the subtle sensibilities that shape the Japanese imagination.
This color serves as the guiding thread of the exhibition.
shades of white
Curated by the institution’s Cultural Director, Natasha Barzaghi Geenen, the exhibition explores the many shades and meanings of white in Japan through four elements—paper, silk, snow, and salt—revealing the deep connections between color and Japanese culture.
The inspiration for the exhibition emerged from the reading of “Snow Country” (1948), by Yasunari Kawabata, during the JHSP + Quatro Cinco Um Book Club in June of last year. The novel vividly portrays the vast white landscapes of northern Japan and the traditional process of bleaching fabric in the snow.
“Shiro is not the outcome of a specific concept; its inspiration is poetic and abstract. White, as the combination of all other colors, serves here as a symbolic starting point for reflecting on how Japan encompasses countless nuances and subtleties. It is a country of many shades that may go unnoticed by some, but not by the Japanese, whose keen perception recognizes even the most delicate differences within white itself”
19 shades
Divided into four major thematic sections corresponding to each element, the exhibition design invites visitors to immerse themselves in the symbolic dimensions and nuances of the color. At the entrance, a color chart featuring a selection of 19 shades of white cataloged in Japan introduces the remarkable diversity contained within a single color, drawn from the hundreds of traditional colors recognized in the country.
Paper
At the heart of the Paper section is Poem of Life, an installation by artist Ayumi Shibata composed of numerous sheets of paper intricately cut using the kiri-ê technique and tied together, symbolizing the artist’s aspiration for peace and harmony in the world.
Standing approximately three meters tall, the artwork also explores the relationship between paper, light, and shadow using a mirror positioned at its base. In this section, visitors can also learn about the production process of Kurotani Washi, a traditional handmade Japanese paper, from the harvesting of kōzo (mulberry) branches—the raw material used in its production—to the final stages of its creation. Samples of three types of fibers that give rise to washi: Kōzo, Mitsumata and Gampi will also be on display.
Silk
At the heart of the Silk section, artist Kaoru Hirano presents a work created especially for the exhibition. Known for deconstructing garments in her artistic practice, Hirano chose to work with a white silk juban—a traditional Japanese undergarment worn beneath a kimono—that belonged to her paternal grandmother, who passed away in 2018. The piece was transformed into a suspended web–like installation titled Untitled-Grandmother. Measuring nearly four meters in diameter, the delicate site-specific work reflects on affective memory and the bonds that are built, transformed, and sometimes unraveled within family relationships. This section also features silkworm cocoons, silk threads, and fabrics from Gunma Prefecture, one of Japan’s leading silk-producing regions, accompanied by a short video introducing the country’s silk-making traditions.
Snow
The Snow section explores the landscapes of northern Japan, where long, severe winters create vast expanses of white that evoke the imagery described in Kawabata’s Snow Country. To convey this sense of immensity, the exhibition presents three photographs of Land Art interventions created directly in the natural landscape by artist Tomohiro Kajiyama, along with a video documenting his creative process. In these works, Kajiyama approaches the snow-covered terrain as a blank canvas, instinctively traversing it on a pair of small skis and guided solely by the images in his mind, without the aid of measuring tools. The result is a network of lines stretching across kilometers of snow, forming intricate designs whose full scale can only be appreciated from an aerial perspective. Ephemeral by nature, Kajiyama’s “Snow Art” works typically occupy areas of around 100 square meters each.
“His creations begin before dawn, in the freezing silence of winter, as the sky slowly changes color, and continue into the afternoon, sometimes extending over several days.” According to the artist, every step taken to compact the snow represents his philosophy of shaping one’s own life with a positive mindset, even in the face of adversity,” explains the curator.
Snow is such an integral part of everyday life in Japan that the Japanese language includes an extensive vocabulary dedicated to describing its many forms—from powder-like snow to soft, rounded snow that resembles mochi, the traditional glutinous rice cake.
Salt
Like snow, salt also holds a special place in Japanese daily life and cultural traditions. Yet, despite being an island nation surrounded by the sea, Japan’s natural conditions are not particularly favorable for large-scale salt production. For this reason, salt production in Japan has traditionally relied on a two-stage process: first concentrating seawater in salt fields and then evaporating it through boiling.
Although production is now largely industrialized, this method remains part of the country’s salt-making tradition to this day. Beyond its culinary role as a seasoning and preservative, salt also holds important symbolic and spiritual significance in Shinto practices. One of the most widespread customs is morishio (or morijio), the practice of placing small mounds of salt at the entrances of homes, businesses, and shrines to attract good fortune and ward off negative influences. Among the many varieties of salt produced around the world, the exhibition presents five types from different regions of Japan, highlighting their distinct characteristics, textures, and grain sizes.
JHSP Accessible program
The exhibition is also part of the JHSP Accessible program, featuring a WebApp with accessible content and translations in English, Spanish, and Japanese, as well as tactile resources, audio descriptions, and videos in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), ensuring an inclusive experience for all visitors.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ayumi Shibata (Yokohama, 1982)
The artist, who specializes in kiri-ê, studied printmaking and mixed media at the National Academy School of Fine Arts in New York, where she explored a wide range of materials and artistic techniques. She later relocated to Paris, where she spent two years developing international projects, including the creation and exhibition of works at Atelier 59 Rivoli, a renowned artist-run space supported by the City of Paris. In 2018, she returned to Japan, where she has since continued to live and work.
Kaoru Hirano (Nagasaki, 1975)
Kaoru Hirano creates installations by carefully unraveling and reconstructing old garments, umbrellas, and other everyday objects, thread by thread. Her work investigates personal memory while also examining social and historical connections. She earned a doctorate from Hiroshima City University in 2003. She has participated in artistic residencies in New York and Berlin through support from the Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission and Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, in addition to receiving a grant from the Pola Art Foundation in 2010. In 2025, Hirano was awarded a grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, further supporting the development and international presentation of her work.
Tomohiro Kajiyama (Shizuoka, 1985)
In 2018, Kajiyama relocated to Nakasatsunai Village in Hokkaido, a rural community of approximately 3,800 residents in northern Japan Seeking to reconnect with local resources and the surrounding natural environment, he began creating snow art in 2019 as a self-taught artist, developing his own distinctive style, which he calls Free leg. The practice is based on moving freely across the snow, guided by intuition and without predetermined measurements. Created step by step amid the region’s harsh winter conditions, his works symbolize the act of forging one’s own path in life. At the same time, they inspire a sense of wonder and emotion in those who encounter them.
Service:
Exhibition // Shiro: Spectrum of Shades
#NuancesDeBranco #ShiroNaJHSP
Period: June 2 to October 25, 2026
Free admission.
Japan House São Paulo | Ground floor
Location: Japan House São Paulo, ground floor– Av. Paulista, 52 – São Paulo/SP
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm;
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, from 10 am to 7 pm.
Japan House São Paulo remains closed on Mondays, without exception, including on holidays.
