“Movement is meditation, and meditation is movement; without either, there is suchness.” — Bai Juyi, Reading the Zen Sutra
“As It Is” draws its name from the Zen concept of rū rū (如如), a state of stillness within constant change—a presence that neither clings to form nor seeks to transcend, but simply rests in quiet observation. It is not a detachment from the world, but a gentle way of being with it, embracing the ebb and flow of the everyday with clarity and calm. This exhibition invites viewers to slow down and notice the easily overlooked: the warmth of afternoon light, the curling steam from a cup of tea, the soft descent of a falling leaf. Through delicate brushstrokes and layered textures, the artists capture fleeting moments of light, breath, and emotion—where stillness holds motion, and motion reveals stillness. These works do not declare themselves, nor do they narrate. They simply exist— quietly, like a wordless poem—waiting to resonate with the inner rhythm of the viewer. In this mode of looking, art becomes less about representation and more about presence; not a depiction of time, but a quiet breath shared with it. “As It Is” is not a transcendence beyond reality, but a tender gaze upon it. When we strip away the noise of thought and return to the clarity of simple seeing, even the most ordinary scenes begin to glow with unexpected poetry.
Harper’s works in this exhibition draw from the soft, elegant color palettes of traditional East Asian aesthetics. Through layered color transitions across broad expanses of the canvas, punctuated by moments of saturated brightness, the paintings distil a quiet vitality within stillness. Within these scenes, anonymous female figures rest in a state of serenity and openness, embodying the artist’s inward gaze toward ease and composure. It is this contemplative gaze that transforms these feminine forms, resembling vessels, sculptures or landscapes, into something more than the fleeting moments we might glimpse in our daily lives. Within the gaze lies a soft echo of longing: the recognition that even stillness once held life. It is through this steady, repeated attention that memory begins to clarify, and what truly matters comes into focus. This is ‘ru ru’—things as they are, held gently in the artist’s seeing. Rather than telling, these works invite the viewer into a quiet space for contemplation through abstract scenes. May you see not only with your eyes, but with your heart, and perceive what has yet to be revealed.
I Fang’s ceramics emerge like quiet murmurs from the earth—not to speak, but to be felt. With her hands as her tools, she does not rush to shape; each mark and impression becomes a trace of time, a memory etched by the body. Her vessels may take the form of teaware, vases, or remain nameless altogether. Rather than seeking symmetry or perfection, she allows geometric forms to arise organically—like stones, spores, or microscopic landscapes—subtle and rhythmically composed. What I Fang cares about is not only the object itself, but the intimate relationship between vessel and human. She embraces irregularities—indentations, rough textures, gentle tilts—as essential traces of daily life, lending her works warmth and quiet depth. Her practice is a soft gaze toward “use” and “being”—not the pursuit of function, but the offering of a still, enduring presence. These objects become landscapes of quietude, gently accompanying us in the everyday.
