Makoto Fujimura

Untitled

Gold leaf painted on seeded washi paper from Nagasaki, Japan

Makoto Fujimura and fifteen friends visited Nagasaki and the Goto Islands Hidden Churches, sites of Christians persecution between the 1500s-1800s. Through the brokenness of the hidden heroes of Christian faith in Japan, Mako was inspired to paint a large format Nihonga painting which incorporated gold leaf and other precious metals—his offering in response to the Japanese martyrs. During the August 2017 performance, Mako ripped up the larger work into smaller pieces. Andrew Nemr danced on the broken pieces as part of his artistic offering. The washi (paper) of the painting was embedded with seeds in its production. Each of the attendees was invited to keep the pieces or plant them so that the seeds would grow again. The piece signifies both the brokenness and beauty, and the death and life-giving ways of culture and arts. They remind us of our innate soul, pointing towards hope and redemption.

(On loan from a private collection. We are deeply grateful for their generosity.)