Black Eye Gallery is pleased to announce the September 2017 exhibition
WABI- SABI by Damien Drew
Opening night / Artist Reception – Friday. September 8, 6-8pm
Exhibition details – September 5 – 24, 2017
The Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi is an appreciation of a transient and understated
beauty in the modest, imperfect, ephemeral or decayed. Drew’s exhibition expresses this
notion through his perspective of modern day Japan.
Japan has one of the world’s largest economies and a population that is shrinking due to
low birthrates. With employment opportunities predominantly found in large urban centres
there has been a marked decline in rural regions. Drew’s images seek to document that which
is temporary and to celebrate its beauty in turn. The viewer is invited to consider details
and qualities in paired scenes that may be inconspicuous, congruent or contrasting. In a
world that is increasingly homogenised through global retail chains, Drew carefully observes
the melancholy beauty of the many towns and villages that have now become neglected.
“We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive lustre to a shallow
brilliance, a murky light that, whether in a stone or an artefact, bespeaks a sheen of antiquity.
We love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colours and
the sheen that call to mind the past that made them.”
– From Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, ‘In Praise of Shadows’ 1933
Damien Drew is also an award-winning Art Director and Production Designer whose
feature film credits include Alien Covenant, Superman Returns, Star Wars, The Great
Gatsby and The Matrix films.
Exhibition details – September 5 – 24, 2017
Opening night- Friday September 8, 6-8pm
Mandatory credit line:
From WABI-SABI by Damien Drew, courtesy of Black Eye Gallery
