Kintsugi

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold lacquer, the philosophy behind it is that a piece is even more beautiful for having a history. It's not something to hide, but to enhance.

Not only does it look beautiful, but I was fascinated by this mindset and especially in this day and age where we too often buy cheap and throw away, instead of buying quality and taking care of what we already have.

This series is a reminder that imperfection is the beauty. That the history, wear, and broken pieces of objects, and even ourselves, are exactly what give them character, meaning, and value.

Gold leafing is the process of applying delicate sheets of gold to a surface to create luminous details and highlights.

By incorporating the gold, imperfections and fragmented forms become even more enhanced. The process itself is a practice of letting go of perfection and embracing the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy of impermanence and incompleteness.

The Kintsugi series was exhibited at Fuglen through Creator Brunch Club, a community in Oslo that brings together creatives, entrepreneurs, and curious minds to share ideas and build connections.

When I was invited to showcase the paintings at one of their gatherings, it felt like a fitting place to share work centered around impermanence, meaning and value.

Event photos by @theodoremeasures