This is the first exhibition to focus solely on the art of Otagaki Rengetsu (1791 – 1875), a Japanese Buddhist nun, whose tragic life inspired extraordinary creativity. One of a very few successful female artists of early 19th-century Japan, Otagaki Rengetsu was primarily a poet and calligrapher, but also excelled in pottery and scroll-painting. She continues to be revered in Japan, particularly Kyoto, for her art and strong character in Japan.
Otagaki Rengetsu’s work reflects the understated simplicity of Zen art - the beauty of the imperfect and unconventional. Largely drawn from international private collections, black robe, white mist shows contemplative works of paper and clay with the artist’s elegant poetry and her unpretentious calligraphy.
