Victoria Olt
"In 2018 I went to Tokyo to study Japanese Inkwash painting (sumi-e). The result of that trip is the sumie inspired collection on display at the Naissance group show.
Sumie is a very different way to paint and to observe the world around you. While in western art the artist tries to capture what the subject looks like, in sumi-e the artist tries to capture its soul, with quick bold brush strokes. In this collection I bind the two ways of painting.
The act of Japanese inkwash painting is very meditative. In Japan many still worship the pagan divinities from nature, and you can see that in the materials used. For example, the inkstick is from natural origins and has to be ground on the inkstone - the process is very slow and deliberate, at the beginning of a painting session the artist is obliged to slow down while making their ink and to carefully perceive their subject. The ink pad used for the seals is considered a living thing and has to be stirred every two weeks or it will die. You must learn to appreciate everything nature has to offer, if you want to paint this way.
The ritualistic practice of sumi-e has a lot to teach us in modernity, it can teach us to slow down but also to be bold with our actions."