Friday, February 18, 2011

Beautiful Strange

In Japan, it is referred to as wabi-sabi, an "aesthetic centered on transience... of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete." Derived from Zen Buddhism, the concept appreciates asymmetry and uniquity, and pays homage to the fact that nothing is perfect, nothing lasts, and such traits are facets of true beauty.

German artist Uli Westphal has clearly cultivated his own appreciation for wabi-sabi, as evident in his ongoing work photographing "Mutatoes" - gorgeous, alien fruit forms culled from local farmer's markets.


Sadly, with the homogenization of conventional produce, it is becoming more difficult to find such specimens in our own markets. Which is why we'll be buying Westphal's brilliant poster, now available on his website, to pin to our kitchen wall.


Bad hair day? Bags under eyes? Crooked features? You're no freak - you're a beautiful Mutato.

On second thought, perhaps we should hang the poster on our bathroom mirror...

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