The precious sixteenth-century casket of theOratory of San Rocco, as part of the International Review ‘Pensieri preziosi’ now in its 19th edition, from 16 November 2024 to 23 February 2025 hosts a personal exhibition dedicated to Mari Ishikawa‘s thirty years of work, realised thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo.
On display are more than one hundred works including necklaces, brooches, rings and photographs by the Japanese artist, who uses various and unusual materials in the creation of jewellery. Such as silk, pure silver, variously oxidised, aluminium, Japanese lacquer, paper (Kozo), ancient pearls, grey quartz, raw aquamarine, corals, ancient textiles and organic material, flowers, plants that, fused with silver, escape the passage of time, overcoming the transience of nature.
The Japanese artist, who trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, encompasses both Eastern and Western thought in her works and conducts her research, both expressive and intellectual, focusing in particular on nature. This is without neglecting the human being, with his emotions and thoughts, and the natural and artificial landscapes that surround us. In fact, while Western art originates from man and his individuality, Eastern art is formed in a path of continuous refinement that finds its inspiration outside man himself, i.e. in nature. Nature that becomes a certain, authoritative and undisputed source, an emblem not only of beauty but also of truth, spiritual depth and perfection. The relationship, too often lacking in balance, between man and nature is investigated and evoked with determination by the artist who creates works where the organic and floral part can coexist harmoniously even with the dry and clean lines of geometry.
The exhibition and catalogue are curated by Mirella Cisotto Nalon, with catalogue texts by Luisa Bazzanella, Mirella Cisotto Nalon and Monica Fahn.
Open to the public until Sunday 23 February 2025.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.30 am to 7 pm (closed on Mondays).
Free admission.
Information:
Oratory of San Rocco
Via Santa Lucia, 59, 35139, Padua
tel. +39 049 8753981
https://padovacultura.padovanet.it/it/attivita-culturali/pensieri-preziosi-19