New show about cultural flow

THE Art Gallery of Ballarat’s latest Backspace exhibitor is aiming to bring a Japanese tradition to the region.

Ballarat-based artist Seiko Hoashi’s Epigraphs exhibition opened last Thursday and is named after her self-developed approach to calligraphy.

Having lived in the region for more than 20 years, she said it’s a way of connecting with her birth culture.

“Because I live here, I have to think more about my identity when I think about Japanese culture,” she said.

“I started using Japanese calligraphic lines and energy. Each theme has got a background book or poem that I wanted to introduce as an epigraph.

“Most of them are charged with feminine Zen philosophy which is a bit different to traditional Zen philosophy.”

With a background in Western calligraphy, Hoashi studied graphic design at Federation University 10 years ago.

She said Western practice is more focused on precision while the Japanese style is freer and more expansive, something which she adapted for her epigraphs.

Her featured works were created last year, with each piece generally taking a day to complete.

Hoashi said the pieces, many of which draw on the Japanese hiragana character set, are also meant to be a homage to the creative achievements of women.

“A key word was made using The Tale of Genji. A women wrote that book and its actually the oldest book in the world from a woman,” she said.

“I wanted to get part of a women as well as the cursive feeling. In Japan, The Tale of Genji is done like a text book of Zen philosophy.

“[With] hiragana, women created the lettering 1000 years ago. Women expanded and established the culture in that era.”

Epigraph is on display until Sunday, 7 May.