For six months - 186 days - Tina Berning exchanged her Berlin studio for the tatami room of a small machiya in Kyoto, Japan. A self-chosen sabbatical, a family adventure and a journey of inspiration through a country she had fallen in love with many years ago. Jaeger Art presents drawings created during her time in Japan and later refined in Berlin, reflecting the profound impressions of her journey.
Tina Berning is captivated by the traces embedded in materials, both physical and metaphorical. She draws on found paper and treasures she discovered at the vibrant flea markets of Toji and Kitano temples—packaging, ledger books, and, of course, washi paper, which has been traditionally handcrafted in Japan for centuries.
The appreciation of traces in objects is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, reflected in concepts like wabi-sabi, kintsugi,mottainai (the philosophy of avoiding waste), and yuugen, the beauty in the invisible.
These aesthetic and philosophical principles resonate with the artist, as does yohaku-no-bi, typical for Japanese drawings, embracing the beauty of remaining white space (void) which Tina Berning masterfully incorporates into her drawings.
On the occasion of the opening we are pleased to announce the release of
HIMEKURI
186 drawings on a japanese tear-off calendar
True to her motto, “A drawing a day keeps the doctor away,” Tina Berning purchased a tear-off calendar on her first day in Kyoto and filled its pages over 186 days with observations, notes, and impressions. The calendar’s structure—daily tips in Hiragana and Kanji, moon phases, and Japanese holidays—became the foundation of her drawings, sometimes hidden beneath layers of color or integrated with figures. The rhythm of weekdays and symbols documented her six-month journey in a visual narrative.
For its reproduction, Berning paired the drawings with a photograph taken on the same day, featuring facades, signs, figures, and temples. This adds a second layer, inviting us to join her journey and gaining insight into her observational research.
All 186 original drawings are displayed as a striking wall installation. In connection with the exhibition, Jaeger Art has collaborated with Tina Berning to release a limited edition art book, which will be unveiled for the first time during the opening and made available in a series of 250 signed and numbered copies.
