Collection: Gaby Oshiro - Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf

When the DAM invited me to create a large-scale collaborative modular sculpture inspired by the techniques showcased in Biophilia: Nature Reimagined, it felt like a fitting alignment of artistic vision. The incorporation of repetition of form and shape, drawing inspiration from nature, seamlessly blended with my existing creative process. 

My recent visit to the Italian artist and architect Carlo Scarpa’s Brion Cemetery & Sanctuary near Treviso, Italy, sparked the idea for my reimagined pond, a mixture of traditional and contemporary Japanese aesthetics. I was moved by Scarpa’s ability to grasp the essence of Zen with all the symbolism enclosed in a limited space. While in this garden, Ryokan’s haiku imagery from “Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf” materialized in front of my eyes. I wanted to evoke the elements of a Zen garden through geometrical shapes and sumi-e colors. 

This opened the door for more experimentation in painting/art installation, the introduction of the haiku/poetry written by my great-uncle Hideichi Oshiro and mulberry paper.