Shosho, the calligraphic art form of a Japanese artist and his disciples, has been given a temporary home lining the lower walls of the Skutt Student Center.
The gallery, also known as the “The Awakened Spirit,” is a collection of different Shoshone pictures drawn by an artist named Tshima Yukei and his disciples Nakagawa Kyoji, Takeuchi Hosen and Tshima Takai.
Susan Naoko, a published author and art professor, temporarily acquired the pieces of Yukei’s collection. She and her husband decided to have the artwork visit several universities and galleries throughout the United States.
Art coordinator Sarah Garro says that she was contacted by Maorong Jiang to feature the pieces in Skutt.
“The artworks have been displayed throughout Europe, South America and China, but this is the first time that the pieces have been presented on a university level,” Garro said.
Beginning on Feb. 1 and ending on March. 26, the gallery was sent over by Naoko and was set up by both the Student Center Art Department and the Asian World Group.
The gallery is set up as two rows of pictures in the bottom level of Skutt right beside the Skutt Ballroom. As the students walk around the corner across from the ballroom they are greeted to a sight of sweeping black lines and curving figures that marks the simple and yet complex art form. Students who see the exhibition are greeted to not only beautiful artwork but also an amazing story about a revolutionary art form.
As students will discover when they walk through the exhibit, each picture has a purpose and story behind it. Each picture originates from a Japanese symbol that has spiritual meaning behind it. Besides the explanations at each pictures there is a piece of information about Yukei or one of his disciples. Students are able to put together the story of the artists through their work.
Students are also given an explanation of what Shosho means. As stated by the gallery information, Shosho is, “a contemporary calligraphic art, which combines traditional elements of ancient Chinese writing and current ideas about the dynamic qualities of the artistic image, promotes the unification of the spirit of the written character (kanji) and the spirit of the artist, filling the three-dimensional space between them with unseen power. When this merging of artist and work is successful, the viewer intuitively understands the meaning of the work, even though he or she may not be able to read the character. ”
Both Arts & Sciences junior Sarah Garro and sophomore Allison Dethlefs, the assistant art coordinator, say they are both intrigued by the gallery and encourage other students to enjoy it.
“What I love about the pieces is the fact that I don’t know Japanese, but the way the artist portrays the characters, makes me understand what they mean,” Garro said. “I think that is the beauty of art – there is always something else to be said about a piece. We found it to be refreshing and great opportunity to show campus something novel and different.”
Garro also said she hopes the students will take advantage of both the gallery and the upcoming lecture.
The gallery will be up through the month of February. The lecture about the pieces given by Nakao will be on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and a reception before that from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
“I hope that the Creighton and larger Omaha community can appreciate this gallery and the cultural experience that it share,” Dethlefs said.