‘Abstract’ presents a selection of naturally formed agate pebbles and scholar's rocks—revered in Chinese tradition as microcosms of landscape—alongside archaic jade cong and bi-discs, abstract works by Japanese calligraphy masters such as Yuichi Inoue and Suda Kokuta, and Japanese lacquer sculptor's tools that blur the line between craft and art. At the heart of the exhibition is a dialogue between the intentional and the accidental, the human and the natural. Whether shaped by geological forces over millions of years or by the gestural energy of a brush in a single moment, each object invites contemplation and celebrates the beauty of form beyond representation—where meaning is found not in what is depicted, but in what is felt.
1–10 April 2023
A mottled grey, caramel and red russet agate pebble and a large deep russet agate scholar’s rock
A deep-black and grey agate pebble
A brown and black agate pebble and a mottled russet, cream and golden agate pebble of flattened form
A mottled sea-green, grey and cream jade cong, China, Qijia Culture (2200–1600 BCE)
A turquoise bi-disc, China, Qijia Culture (2200–1600 BCE)