The Invisible Gardener

Japan fascinates the foreign observer with contrasts: impassable nature and closely staggered urbanity, the cultivation of tradition and the development of the very latest technical gadgets, uniformity (almost harmony) in society’s outward appearance and intricate blockades within social relations.

Traditional Japan is characterized by a culture of mastery and perfection as well as a portion of mysticism and melancholy. Mental attitude and craftsmanship unite in Japan’s architecture and gardens to form a unique Japanese view on civilization. It is common that an artist’s self-conception is to subordinate themselves to their artwork. The intention of this subordination is to enhance the spectator’s experience. The created work of art stands for itself or for a metaphor but never for an artist’s ego.