From: Karyna Shuliak <M

From: Karyna Shuliak <M > To: ICaryna Shuliak Date: Tue, 30 May 2017 22:17:29 +0000 I think of Toki as the keys to the secret doors. Behind the doors, that I was fortunate to walk through, was always something unique and inspiring. I was introduced to the art of ikebana by a phenomenal teacher. Her own creations I always found original, delicate and exquisitely beautiful, as if they were a reflection of herself. The flowers, inspirations, information about the philosophy and history were carefully selected by her for each session, that would all eventually connect together into a beautiful ikebana. Calligraphy was another new experience for me and I was extremely fortunate to have one of Japan's great calligraphy artists as my teacher. I was touched by how much thought was put into the preparation for the lesson to make it feel very personal. And just like with ikebana, besides the obvious aesthetic aspect of it, I found something meditative and purifying about calligraphy, as if, al least for that moment, it was bringing the best of me. And then of course, the wagashi artist, yes the ARTIST! Who reads the old books of Noh, to find his inspiration for the new creations. And a special request for the creations sometimes comes from the legendary tea masters who hand write a long letter on a scroll with their vision for the next tea gathering. Tea ceremony, wagashi making, ikebana lessons, zen meditation, calligraphy. And behind that was a very hard work of my wonderful curator Romy, who carefully planned all the details of our itinerary to ensure the experience, that is very fine and also personal. I cannot thank you enough! It was very special. EFTA00565421