KINTSUGI

Acrylic on canvas, 15 x 30 IN.

As an artist, I have long been fascinated by a Persian flaw. The term has evolved to mean “a deliberate mistake” but the etymology comes from Persian rug making and muslim craftsmanship. Traditional Persian rug makers leave a deliberate “flaw” in their design under the belief that only Allah in his creations is perfect. I bring up this concept because it is the exact opposite of what this piece, Kintsugi, represents and underscores the importance of embracing both.

Kintsugi is a 400 hundred year old Japanese method for repairing ceramics and translates to mean “gold seam or repair”. When a vessel is chipped or shattered, artisans use a laminating lacquer process which finishes with highlighting the seams in gold or silver powder. The construct behind this process is a culturally intrinsic belief that there is beauty in what is the imperfection. The idea is that one should embrace the flaws within objects and within oneself. It reminds us that our scars are beautiful, our healing to be celebrated and the new form we create has a uniqueness that we only would have seen within ourselves if it weren’t for the resiliency we were able to summon.

To bring it back to the Persian flaw juxtaposing the Kinsugi concept… we are all just a mess of mistakes we create or things that have happened to us, aren’t we? We aren’t Allah or whatever you want to call your god or belief system. Then, again, look at what our Creator made in us. Could there be a little divinity within us as we look around to recover and rebuild along our purpose journey? Maybe the very things we think are our weaknesses are what another sees as most beautiful.