In Praise of Shadows

Cassina Projects and ARTUNER present “In Praise of Shadows“, the fourth chapter of a joint exhibition programme between the two ventures.

In 1933, the Japanese novelist Jun’ichiro Tanizaki wrote the seminal essay on Japanese aesthetics “In Praise of Shadows”, outlining some of the key tenets of the country’s particular way of perceiving light and darkness. Although specific to Japan, today Tanizaki’s essay more widely speaks to an aesthetic sensibility that has spread to the West as well: an appreciation for the patina given by age, for humble materials, for muted hues, and for sombre, yet poignant compositions. This exhibition looks at the work of three international artists who “find beauty not in the thing itself but in the pattern of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates” (Tanizaki).