Lechbinska Gallery is delighted to present the first solo exhibition by a Japanese artist Chiaki Saito in Switzerland. Renowned for her innovative use of paper, Saito brings a fresh perspective to the age-old technique of woodblock printing and crafts intricate, multi-dimensional installations with paper fibers. Additionally, Saito contributes to the art and academic worlds as a Professor at Hakuoh University and as the Director of the Kanuma City Kawakami Sumio Museum of Art.

At the heart of this exhibition lies “Generation Flow,” a monumental installation conceived exclusively for the Lechbinska Gallery, consisting of numerous woodblock prints. This piece is an extension of the acclaimed “Hydrospheres” series from 2019, which serves as a contemplative response to the devastating earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, destroying Saito's studio along with her artworks and materials. In navigating this phase of regeneration, Saito draws inspiration from the 13th-century text, Hōjōki, by Kamo no Chōmei. The text reflects on the impermanence of life and societal shifts in Japan due to natural calamities. Saito echoes the notion of “mujō” or the ephemeral nature of existence, akin to Heraclitus's idea that “everything flows,” symbolizing the constant state of change like a river’s flow.

The flow of the river never ceases,
And the water never stays the same.
Bubbles float on the surface of pools,
Bursting, re-forming, never lingering.
They’re like the people in this world and their dwellings.

(Kamo no Chōmei, 1212
Translated by Stavros)

Lechbinska 画廊很高兴在瑞士苏黎世举办日本艺术家斋藤千明 （Chiaki SAITO ）的首次个展。斋藤以其对纸张的创新使用而闻名，她为古老的木版印刷技术带来了全新的视角，用纸纤维制作出错综复杂的多维装置。此外，斋藤还作为白鸥大学的教授和金沼市澄生美术馆馆长，为日本艺术创作界和学术界做出了贡献。

本次展览的主题为 "Generation Flow"，这是一件专门为Lechbinska画廊设计的不朽装置作品，由大量木版画纸组成。

该作品是 2019 年广受赞誉的 "水界 "系列的延伸。2011 年日本大地震摧毁了斋藤的工作室以及她的艺术作品和材料。在这一再生阶段，斋藤从 13 世纪鴨長明的文本《方丈记 》中汲取灵感。该文本反映了生命的无常和日本因自然灾害而导致的社会变迁。斋藤呼应了赫拉克利特 "无常 "的概念，即存在的短暂性。赫拉克利特 "万物皆流 "的观点，象征着像河流一样不断变化的状态。

河水永不停息，
水流不断变化。
气泡漂浮在池面，
迸发，再形成，永不停息。
正如世上的人们和他们的居所一样。
《方丈记》 鴨長明，1212 年