Gold leaf on Japanese paper

41 × 32 cm. 16 1/8 x 12 5/8 in.

Titled in English and Japanese, signed in English, and dated on artist’s label on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

The Unity of Heaven and Earth Underlies the Law of Nature
The Phase Aesthetics of Nobuo Sekine
Nobuo Sekine is a central figure of the Japanese “Mono-ha” art movement in the late 1960s. Under the influence of Zen philosophy, Sekine employed topological theory to explore the relationship between material and space and the distinctive form of his “phase painting” series has revealed the natural principles of mass conservation and integration.
The work, Phase Conception: The Field of Triangle G6-1, is overlaid with Washi (Japanese paper) and gold foil. At the first layer of Washi, a triangle is cut out and divided into 15 parts, 12 of which are put back to re-fill the triangular space, while the remaining three pieces are pasted below, protruding from the surface. At the same time, a new triangular plane is formed between the three sheets of Washi, corresponding to the geometric figure above. Sekine’s reflection on the way materials exist is embodied in such a composition. In this work, the sheets of Washi are transferred to another plane, leaving several black gaps which are then compensated by other forms of reconstruction. The work thus reveals the law of nature that materials are transferred and restored in the world, finally reaching the state of equilibrium. The transferred materials also follow the principle of conservation and establish a new order, embodying the Taoist philosophy of “after one comes two, after two comes three, after three come all things, and all things are of the same origin.”

Price estimate:
HKD: 40,000 - 60,000
USD: 5,100 - 7,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 47,200