The creation of my exhibition was driven by an exploration of the misconception of perfection, adaptability through mistakes, and the philosophy of Kintsugi (金継) — the “golden journey.” My intention for this body of work was to express flexibility, creativity, incompleteness, and subtlety, in order to question what is considered “broken” and “whole.” My work acknowledges the beauty and wisdom that emerge from mistakes and imperfections — encouraging the viewer to “pay no mind” to changing conditions and instead embrace them as opportunities. The idea of living in the moment and accepting transformation is woven throughout each piece in unique ways.

I selected each artwork based on how it connected to my central concept, while viewing it through a fresh lens. These various ideas come together in a carefully considered sequence, making the order of the exhibition integral to the experience. The exhibition is meant to be viewed from left to right, unfolding thematically: it begins with flexibility in the face of change, moves into the beauty of imperfection, then into creativity, risk, transformation, Kintsugi, and finally, the concept of using what’s broken to create something whole again. The spacing between each piece represents shifts in direction, symbolizing the ongoing nature of change.

At the beginning of the process, I primarily explored ink wash techniques. However, after researching Kintsugi and receiving bowls to work with, I began experimenting with new mediums. I used acrylic paint to repaint the bowls, dimensional paint to imitate the golden seams of Kintsugi, and materials like caulk and lacquer to repair a bowl I had intentionally broken. I also experimented with spray paint, but it didn’t yield the effects I envisioned. As a result, I reworked Bronze Flood into Golden Rivers, using black spray paint as a base and layering acrylic and joint compound to align the piece with my evolving process. Attaching the bowls to the canvases proved challenging, but E6000 glue helped me connect both entire bowls and fragments to the surfaces—supporting the unconventional presentation I envisioned.

As the viewer moves through the exhibition, the conceptual depth increases, encouraging a shift in perception. The first pieces, Nature Amidst a Gust of Wind and Reconvene, are straightforward landscape paintings—clear in imagery, narrative, and interpretation. In contrast, Spilled and An Imperfect Puzzle introduce abstraction, embedding recurring motifs that become more prominent throughout the exhibition. Bronze Flood into Golden Rivers serves as a turning point—introducing a new medium and embodying the idea of imperfection’s beauty. It bridges earlier conceptual works with later pieces like Hot Metal Forged Into a Living Canvas and Golden Journey, where the bowls begin to influence their surrounding environments. Here, the mistakes and imperfections of the bowls are not hidden—they alter the canvas itself. Finally, Broken Abyss and Seamless Pieces illustrate a resolution: the bowls blend into their environments, enhancing them naturally, as if they had always belonged.

While the exhibition clearly emphasizes the physical implications of cracks, breakage, and imperfection, it also subtly explores the internal meaning of what it feels like to be “broken” or “flawed.” The most explicit representations of this duality appear in Nature Amidst a Gust of Wind and Reconvene. Placing these pieces at the start of the exhibition was intentional—they provide a grounding point for the more complex ideas that follow. As viewers progress through the work, the connection between physical and emotional brokenness becomes more apparent. Spilled and Bronze Flood into Golden Rivers act as a bridge between the outer and inner worlds of imperfection. Through repeated motifs and evolving symbolism, the exhibition offers viewers not only new ways to understand brokenness, but also a framework to reflect on their own relationship with it.