White— Kenya Hara

“White,” as such, only exists in our perception; it is therefore useless to go looking for it. Instead, we must find a way to feel whiteness, as through this process we will become aware of a white that is slightly whiter than the white we normally perceive. This, in turn, will make us aware of the surprising diversity of whites that can be found in Japanese culture: we will finally be able to understand words like “silence” or “empty space,” and we will know how to distinguish the hidden meanings they contain. As we acquire this rapport with white, our world will become more resplendent and its shadows more pronounced.

Kenya Hara

Today we experience a rationalization of the senses; the art of refinement has somewhat fallen into oblivion, and no attention is paid to detail, mental abstraction, and unhurried dedication. This light and captivating text on the concept of white is Kenya Hara's reply to this trend. His personal journey through concepts, objects, and actions—such as emptiness, paper, or the tea ceremony—not only constitutes an initiation into a universe of subtle nuances and refinement, but also, by combining everyday observation with his reflections on Japanese aesthetics and sensibility, amplifies the need to critically review what we understand as senses. This brief and important text is a challenge to the simplification that permeates much of current thought about what can be felt, experienced, and negotiated on an emotional level.

Olafur Eliassone