Rui Sasaki glass art on view at Portland Japanese Gardens

Portland Japanese Garden’s first new art exhibition of 2023, opening March 18, will feature Japan Institute’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence, Rui Sasaki glass art. Hailed as a “glass virtuoso” by The New York Times, Sasaki made two separate journeys east from her native Japan to collect plant life from Portland Japanese Garden to create a site-specific experience.

Titled Subtle Intimacy: Here and There, Sasaki is creating an immersive experience where transparent impressions of the Garden’s foliage are forever preserved in panes of clear glass. Simultaneously scientific and ethereal, Rui Sasaki glass art doesn’t focus on individual works, but instead combines pieces into an installation that creates an immersive experience for its viewers.

The Rui Sasaki glass art panels that will make up the installation in Portland Japanese Garden’s Pavilion will be composed of plants both from Portland and Sasaki’s neighborhood in Kanazawa.

Aki Nakanishi, Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education, noted that the goal of Japan Institute’s Artist-in-Residence program is, “To give world-class artists an opportunity to immerse themselves in everything that this great Pacific Northwest has to offer while exposing the local arts community to each artist’s unique sensibilities through organic dialogue.”

This program provides the Portland community an opportunity to engage with artists from Japan as they work in our neighborhood with local materials, allowing members and visitors to experience Portland Japanese Garden from a fresh perspective.

Subtle Intimacy: Here and There opens Saturday, March 18 and runs through Monday, June 12 and is included in admission to Portland Japanese Garden.

Hours and Admission:

• Summer Hours beginning March 12:
  • Portland Japanese Garden: 10:00am-6:00pm (last entry at 6:00pm) | Wednesday – Monday, closed Tuesdays
    • Member Hours: 8:00am-10:00am
  • Portland Japanese Garden’s Pavilion Gallery: 9:00am-7:00pm | Wednesday – Monday, closed Tuesdays
• Tickets can be purchased at tickets.japanesegarden.org
• Exhibition page for Subtle Intimacy: Here and There can be found here