Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese aesthetic that regards the decaying or the scarred as beautiful; opposed to our adoration of perfection we adhere to here in the West. Although this concept has only recently reached my eyes, I have realised that since my very first artistic endeavour I have attempted to show the very same thing. This most certainly was due to my love of all things Japanese, and being able to see Wabi-Sabi within their culture when they no longer acknowledge it themselves.

“Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.
It is a beauty of things modest and humble.
It is a beauty of things unconventional.”
-Leonard Koren (1994)

The concept was derived from early Buddhist teachings in Japan, and through the introduction of the tea ceremony. Those who attended such ceremonies were given cups made of simple materials that had been handed down through generations, as one was taught that an object that was old and had been used was far more beautiful than a cup made perfectly from expensive materials. The tea ceremony also taught of meditation through observing nature, as nature is the basis for all things beautiful. No two leaves are the same, and the admiration of this uniqueness stemmed the concept.

My fascination with this idea has only deepened upon my recent diagnosis of cervical cancer. My scars from one of my operations became the basis for my current piece, in which my scars are compared to scars in nature. This comparison aimed to show the viewer how the body beautiful should not be the ideal for any human being, and that one’s scars and disfigurements should not be seen as imperfections. In nature everything is made to be unique, so why should the human body be any different? My scars remind me of my mortality, which only makes me appreciate my existence even more.

I feel that by showing illness as Wabi-Sabi, one can feel at peace with their own body instead of seeing it as the enemy. My aim was to remove the taboos around discussing one’s health, and relieve the life-destroying stigma behind it. I fully acknowledge that to have cancer is not a pleasant experience, but I don’t believe it should be seen purely in a negative light as so much good comes from the experience also. I am proud to display them and proud to acknowledge that I am a cancer sufferer. They make me unique and have made me who I am today. Beauty can only be found in the irregular. Perfection is dull.