In the contemporary era of divisive politics and fake news, going beyond binary positions is more important than ever. The Buddhist concept of ‘Mu’ is a useful reminder. Mu recognizes that there is no definitive right or wrong, true or false, or good or bad. These are positions of polarity dependent on both, time and space, history and contexts. These sculptures can be utilized as tools for meditation to strive for what Zen Buddhists call, nothingness – a point of transcendence.
CV
Junichiro Iwase
Junichiro Iwase was born in Tokyo and immigrated to Canada with family in 1972. He currently lives and works in British Columbia. Iwase graduated from Johnson Atelier Institute of Sculpture in 1997. Since then, he has participated at international exhibitions, residencies, biennials, and workshops in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. His work focuses on themes of ‘fragility’ and ‘balance’, in the 21st century.
Selected Exhibitions
2018 LAM 360°, Land Art Mongolia Biennial, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
2017 Art Beatus, ‘MU: Beyond Duality’, Vancouver, Canada
2016 Moriumius, ‘Egg Forest’, AIR_J, Ishinomaki, Japan
2015 Mildura Palimpsest Biennale, Victoria, Austraila
2014 Bellwether Sculpture Biennale, City of Bellevue, Washington, USA
2013 Red Gate International Residency Program, ‘APT 402’, Beijing, PRC
2013 Nikkei National Museum, Double Zero’, Canada
2010 Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, Liverpool, U.K.
2007 Art Beatus, ‘Cracked Up!’ Vancouver, Canada
2005 SIPPA, Seoul Arts Center, South Korea
2003 Gallery 21yo-j, ‘Focusing on New Generation in Tokyo’, Japan
1998 Itabashi Art Museum, ‘Attack/Damage: Art in Tokyo’, Japan
Awards / Grants
2018 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, New York, USA
2018 Canada Council for the Arts – Arts Abroad, Ottawa, Canada
2002 Japanese-Canadian Fishermen’s Memorial, British Columbia, Canada
1994 Johnson Incentive Grant, Johnson Atelier Institute of Sculpture, N.J., USA
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