Jacqueline Hassink offers a unique look at Kyoto’s temples and gardens
![Kyoto’s temples and gardens](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Qe68ibTcDSzyZNw56NRwAP-415-80.jpg)
When we last caught up with Jacqueline Hassink, the Dutch photographer had published the sequel to her landmark project on Europe's boardrooms. She had also wrapped another major body of work: View, Kyoto, a beguiling photo essay exploring traditional Japanese gardens at the city’s Buddhist temples. Those images make their UK debut today at the Wapping Project Bankside.
The series was inspired by Hassink’s first visit to Kyoto, where she was drawn to the ‘micro-systems’ that occur when gardens are viewed through the adjacent architecture, as if in a frame. (She refers to it as an ‘abstract painting of nature’.) Her photographs emphasise the unclear border between private and public spaces – though they are careful to give visual balance to both the woven tatami mats and lush foliage. Of her approach, the artist says: ‘The temple grounds became the working material with which I created sculptural photographic compositions.’
It was by no means an easy undertaking for the photographer who, as an outsider, contended with thousands of years of tradition and a notoriously secretive community. ‘Kyoto is a very closed society where generations of family are bound together. You can only gain access if you have the proper introduction,’ says Hassink. ‘Kyoto is a mystery to many people and it takes years to unravel it.’
The artist persevered – it took several official letters, donations and gifts of temple cake – and was able to convince the monks of her earnest intentions. ‘Protocol was extremely important,’ she notes. The head monk of Oubai-in was so convinced, he invited her to stay for an entire year to gain a better understanding of Buddhism and temple life. ‘I photographed at his temple several times and he allowed me to use it as a living sculpture,’ she says. ‘I closed and opened sliding doors to create new rooms.’
It might seem Hassink is more at home the less familiar her environment. For an upcoming project in Beijing, the artist will deal ‘with the moment of isolation when using a smartphone’. And her Unwired Landscapes series examines places in the world without Internet or cell phone coverage. ‘I believe these places will become historic and valuable,’ she says.
Along with her large-scale prints on view at the Wapping Project, Hassink has unveiled a film featuring the four head monks who served as her subjects. ‘My idea was to let the monks talk about space and nature, since they really understand the identity of the garden,’ she says. ‘The changing of the seasons is crucial in Japanese culture and this is what makes Zen gardens so incredibly fascinating. The monks are experiencing it year after year, so they appreciate this more than anybody.’
'Shunkoin, golden room, Myoshin-ji, West Kyoto, 5 December 2008' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Oubai-in, Daitoku-ji, Central Kyoto, 1 June 2009' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Eikan-do, East Kyoto, 3 March 2009' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Saiho-Ji, Kokedera, South West Kyoto, 30 May 2009' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Shisen-do, Spring, North East Kyoto, 31 May 2009' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Kaisan-do 1, Tofuku-ji South East Kyoto, 14 August 2004' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Seiryoden 5, Nanzen-Ji, East Kyoto, 4 March 2009' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Hosen-in 1, Winter, North Kyoto, 14 February 2011' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Zuiho-in 1, Daitoku-ji Central Kyoto, 22 June 2004' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Shoden-ji, summer, North West Kyoto, 22 July 2004' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
'Ryoan-ji, summer, North West Kyoto, 19 August 2004' © Jacqueline Hassink. Courtesy of The Wapping Project Bankside
ADDRESS
The Wapping Project Bankside
65a Hopton Street
London SE1 9LR
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Deathmatch wrestling’s behind-the-scenes moments and bloody glory
A new limited-edition book explores the intersection between art and deathmatch wrestling at a sold-out show held in Tokyo
By Anne Soward Published
-
Olafur Eliasson inaugurates Azabudai Hills Gallery in Tokyo
Olafur Eliasson marks launch of Azabudai Hills Gallery, in Tokyo’s major new district, with a show of elemental strength
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Photographer David Abrahams captures quiet moments in Japan for his new London show
‘Kyushu’ is a new show from photographer David Abrahams that documents his trip to a town on the Japanese island
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Hiroshi Sugimoto: ‘The deeper I explore Shinto and Buddhist art, the more it reveals the shallowness of contemporary art’
‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’, at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan, sees the acclaimed photographer draw on Japan’s spiritual past and present
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Artist’s Palate: Chiharu Shiota’s recipe for okonomiyaki
Get tangled up in Chiharu Shiota’s recipe for okonomiyaki, from our January 2023 issue’s Artist’s Palate feature, a Wallpaper* homage to our favourite contemporary art
By TF Chan Published
-
‘East Meets West’: artists Samiro Yunoki and Kori Girard unite at Ace Hotel Kyoto
Art exhibition, ‘East Meets West’ at Ace Hotel Kyoto marks Japanese artist Samiro Yunoki’s 100th birthday, in dialogue with new works by American artist Kori Girard
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
teamLab: how a Tokyo art collective pioneered an immersive art boom
With an operatic intervention and a show at Pace Geneva, teamLab, the now-700-strong Tokyo-based collective that blazed a trail for experiential, tech-fuelled art, continues to value ‘physical interaction in physical space’
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
Tanabe Chikuunsai IV wraps Casa Loewe Barcelona in 6,000 strips of tiger bamboo
Inside the newly revamped Casa Loewe Barcelona, Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV reflects on family traditions and environmental destruction with a staggering bamboo installation
By Malaika Byng Last updated