Kintsugi art and scars: underline the experience. Scars as witnesses.

13 mai 2020

Sarkis and the Art of Kintsugi — © Pauline Simons/Sarkis

The Art of Kintsugi , or the art of stressing the scars

The art of Kintsugi Stresses the scars of a broken object with gold. Faults become witnesses to the history of the broken object. They say his life, and testify of his suffering... But also of his resurrection. The repaired object with pure gold lines becomes magnified by its tests. Even more beautiful, even stronger than before it was broken...

Art as repair therapy

It's a beautiful metaphor of resilience. Our trials strengthen us... The famous "What does not kill makes me stronger" of Nietzsche. Many artists have seized this metaphor, and theresilience theme Through the scars. Instead of hiding them, they underline them. Art becomes art therapy.

Here are some examples, inspired for some directly from The Art of Kintsugi .

Kader Akin, L 'Art and Repair

This artist has put the theme of repair and scars at the heart of his work.

The art of Kader akin, on scars and repair

"Extra-Western societies have another relationship to repair. It must not erase the wound " testifies Kader Attia.

Hélène Gugenheim: From the wound to the healing

This artist covers with gold leaf the scars of the people who have suffered, to support them in their healing process.

Hélène Gugenheim is an artist who works on the scars covered with gold, in the manner of a living Kintsugi

"When I saw Mary's scar, I saw a mixture of strength and fragility. I have not only seen the wound, but the healing. At one time or another, one is wounded: on the skin, in the heart... We have to deal with it. And we do not continue in the same way as we did: we must find a new way forward. " indicates Hélène Gugenheim

Becka Regan: the Kintsugi As a healing medium

Becka Regan is a talented photographer inspired by the art of Kintsugi To underline the scars of the people she is photographing. The bodies are thus magnified, carrying their history...

Becka Regan, Kintsugi , The Art of Healing

"I am amazed at how many people have offered me their bodies with this phrase: I am not sure that this is important, but... Of course you are important. There are people who told me that their scars were insignificant or minimal in comparison with those of others. I want you to know: you're important! You're important! You're important! " explains David

Flavia Carvalho: The tattoo that embellishes the scars

By proposing to women who have suffered domestic violence or breast cancers to magnify their scars with tattoos, the tattoo becomes art-therapy...

The therapeutic tattoo, in the Spirit Kintsugi...

"It's wonderful to see how much their relationship to their body changes after they have the tattoo. I'm a lot on Facebook, and I see how, after being ashamed of their scarified body, they now post photos in dresses, and they look happy, changed. It's a transformer. " indicates Flavia Carvalho .