Wabi-Sabi Mood

Wabi-sabi, the ancient philosophy that values imperfection, has dominated Japanese art at its highest level. In 350 stunning colour photographs this book celebrates the Wabi-sabi mood through a selection of brands, galleries, artists, craftsmen, designers, publishers, and material suppliers. Text in English and French.

Wabi-sabi, that ancient philosophy which embraces imperfection, lies at the very heart of Japanese traditions - both artistic and societal. Today, it is being diluted by modernity. Worse still, this timeless aesthetic - nourished by the slow passage of time and enriched by the patina of age - is being cheapened by the mass-market home décor industry. Reducing wabi-sabi to what it once was, or to a fleeting “lifestyle” trend, is to confine it within a box. From their encounter with architect Kengo Kuma, the authors have retained - and illustrate here - his vision of “modern wabi-sabi. Through their travels in India, Europe, and Morocco, they have witnessed the transcontinental ripple effect of wabi-sabi and, through this aesthetic, the subtle yet powerful influence of Japan. While journeying through the Japanese archipelago, they met with a new generation who is preserving, revealing, and carrying forward this philosophy: the new ambassadors of wabi-sabi. From a shared moment with a monk in a teahouse to a thousand quiet joys, they experienced the wabi-sabi feeling… They summon it here, and invite you to experience it too.

Part travel journal, part photo book, and part collection of testimonies - Anne-Emmanuelle Thion, a nomadic photographer, and Thierry Grundman, a traveling antiques dealer and founder of Atmosphère d’Ailleurs and the Wabi-Sabi Lab - offer a cross-cultural, contemporary vision of wabi-sabi through encounters with those who embody it today.