Enso: What is this?, Fukushima Keidō

Artwork Overview

1933–2011
Enso: What is this?, 2001
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: rice paper; ink
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 340 x 609 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 1280 x 640 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 50 3/8 x 25 3/16 in
Credit line: Gift of the artist
Accession number: 2001.0020
Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label: “From the Way of Writing to the Weight of Writing," Jun-2007, Ai-lian Liu Fukushima Keidō is a Zen master and Head Abbot of Tōfukuji in Kyoto, one of the most eminent Zen monasteries in Japan. He has visited KU and the Spencer Museum of Art on several occasions. Ensō, a circle, is highly symbolic in Zen teaching, yet it can be interpreted in infinite ways, as representing the universe, the void, the enlightenment, the moon, or even a rice cake. It is one of the most common subjects in Zen calligraphy. The artist playfully brushed this ensō and asked “What is this?” leaving interpretation to the viewer.

Exhibitions