by Iwasaki Tsuneo
Experiencing Wisdom and Compassion through Art and Science
Delray Beach, FL – Painting Enlightenment: Experiencing Wisdom and Compassion through Art and Science, features works by Japanese scientist and artist Iwasaki Tsuneo (1917-2002). The paintings create a contemplative journey and meditations on the interconnectedness of the universe. Iwasaki collapses distinctions between image, text and thought with imagery representative of both scientific phenomena and Buddhist principles. He forms the images by using characters from the sacred Buddhist text, the Heart Sutra.
Upon retiring from a career as a research biologist, Iwasaki expanded his own practice of copying sacred texts, called shyakyō – a form of devotion with a long history in Japan. In his unique process, instead of separating the verses written into vertical blocks, he reconfigures them into images such as DNA, lightning bolts, bubbles, atoms and ants. He created this artistic practice to express the intricate relationship between science and Buddhism.
Organized by the Louisiana State University Museum of Art with guest curator, Dr. Paula Arai, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at LSU. Presented at the Morikami Museum and funded in part by the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
Painting Enlightenment images HERE.
Video HERE.
For more information, call (561) 495-0233 or visit Morikami.org.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach.