WA – the essence of Japanese design

"Wa", in Japanese, refers to the concept of harmony and peace, but is also synonymous with Japan and its culture. For this reason it was chosen as an interpretation key to refer to that "Japaneseness" that the West identifies as a paradigm of beauty and which in the field of design translates into the simplicity of forms, the use of natural materials, but also in a inner attitude towards craftsmanship, art and life in general.

From kimonos to lacquered food boxes, from fans to Raku ceramics, passing through the classic pieces of masters such as Shiro Kuramata and Sori Yanagi without neglecting the productions of contemporary stylists and emerging designers, the 250 works follow one another, drawing delicious parallels between past and present , between shapes and materials, in a game of irregularities and asymmetries, of solids and voids, to guide the reader on a beautiful journey to discover the spirit of the Rising Sun.

Rossella Menegazzo is associate professor in East Asian Art History at the University of Milan. Scientific coordinator and curator of various exhibitions and conferences on Asian art and culture. Stefania Piotti has worked as a translator and scientific coordinator in various exhibitions on Japanese art and as an editor of Italian and English texts such as Imaï (Gian Carlo Calza, Electa, 1998), Hokusai (Gian Carlo Calza, Phaidon, 2004) and Japan Style ( Gian Carlo Calza, Phaidon, 2007) .

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