ENSŌ is a body of work I created while in Japan, in November 2023.
An Ensō is a symbol in Zen Buddhism.
Traditionally drawn using one brush stroke as a meditative practice in letting go and allowing the body to create.
While at first the Ensō appears a misshapen circle, it symbolizes the beauty of imperfection, and the art of letting go of expectations. An Ensō is a manifestation of the Artist at the moment of creation and the acceptance of our inner self.
For me, the Ensō represents the freeing of the mind, in order to create without directive. In this body of work, I’ve paired diptychs of two subject matters that have always been a part of my creative journey. Japanese car culture, and street photography. Both have impacted my commercial and editorial practice, and the way I view the world. The two images displayed in one frame represent two halves of a circle, and were created without curation in mind.
To finalize the concept, I painted multiple Ensō with black Sumi ink on Japanese paper, and photographed them to lay over the images for this video.
In Japan, I had an insightful conversation with a Photographer in her 80s, Masako Matsui. She asked “what do you want your work to say.” Her response to my answer was “You have too many ideas happening at once. Try to pull back and achieve one message”
I’m still contemplating what she said, but enjoying the process.
Much love,
Z