EAST OF ABSTRACTION: SHUHARI | SHIBUMI

Whitestone Gallery Singapore is pleased to present EAST OF ABSTRACTION: SHUHARI | SHIBUMI, opening on 24th March 2026. Bringing together five artists from China, Japan, and Korea — Katsuyoshi Inokuma, Liu Ke, Masayuki Tsubota, Soonik Kwon, and Tetsuo Mizu — the exhibition demonstrates the evolution of Asian abstraction across generations, geographies, and philosophical traditions.

The exhibition’s conceptual framework draws upon the Japanese principle of SHUHARI(守破離), a structure of learning and mastery that translates as “to follow, to break, to transcend.” Complementing this progression is SHIBUMI (渋み), an aesthetic sensibility rooted in restraint, quiet depth, and understated elegance. Together, these concepts offer a lens through which to understand Asian abstraction — disciplined yet exploratory, minimal yet expansive, meditative yet intellectually rigorous.