Hiroshi Senju (千住博)

The architect Ryue Nishizawa was commissioned to build a museum that would house works by Hiroshi Senju — an artist whose monumental waterfall paintings adorn many Japanese public buildings.

Shot on location in Singapore, the art and design channel spoke to Sundaram Tagore and acclaimed Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju about his artistic practice.

The Artist: Hiroshi Senju (HD)

Inspired by the calmness of moving landscapes, Hiroshi Senju enlightens with Zen musings.

Blouin Artinfo speaks with Sundaram about STG's early days; what makes a good gallerist; and which historical figure he would like to share a drink with.

Sundaram Tagore had his first taste of the Venice Biennale as a graduate student, when a scholarship from the Italian Ministry of Culture landed him in the city to study museology at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Now, 26 years on, with eponymous galleries in New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong, Tagore has returned to mount his own exhibition to run alongside the 56th Venice Biennale.

Fans of the Fendi baguette will remember a series of one-off pieces created by various artists. One such bag by New York based Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju depicts a waterfall on the back, and is also the carrier of an environmental message.

When asked about the motif that has occupied him for nearly 25 years—waterfalls—the celebrated Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju once explained: "I wanted to paint something that will not be old-fashioned after 1,000 years, a timeless landscape.”

Gallerist Sundaram Tagore's 2,500 sq ft Mid-Levels flat is filled with artwork that speaks volumes about his family.

世界上最遠的距離,不是生與死的距離,而是我站在你面前,你不知道我愛你.....世界上最遙遠的距離,是魚與飛鳥的距離，一個在天，一個卻深潛海底。

想想，不管是不是泰戈爾（Rabindranath Tagore) 譜寫了《世界上最遠的距離》，開頭的選段記載了情侶間的愛情，慢慢接近，慢慢遠離，生成了優美的距離。優美的距離,不止歸屬於愛情、人文藝術的世界裏，不止一次地承載和釋懷各名族文化間幽美而又遙遠的距離。因為遠離，我們彼此仰慕，慢慢接近，學習與自身文化不同的世界和人情。

絲綢之路，自西漢張騫出塞，由中國長安和洛陽出發，橫貫歐亞，直通羅馬。途經中國，印度，波斯，伊斯蘭和希臘文化，象徵西方和非西方聞名的交匯。在由泰戈爾第五代傳人Sundaram Tagore於香港開的同名畫廊的「2014夏季聯展」（The Summer Group Show) 上, 延續了絲綢之路的精神,薈萃了當代非西方和西方的藝術思緒。

Acclaimed historian and gallerist Sundaram Tagore lives and breathes art.

「当我们大为谦卑的时候，便是我们最接近伟大的时候。（We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility）」这是曾获诺贝尔文学奖的印度大文豪泰戈尔（Rabindranath Tagore）让人耳熟能详的名句。他周游列国，与徐悲鸿、谭云山为友，对促进东西文化最落力，描写也最为细腻，甚至影响中国一代诗风。个半世纪后，泰戈尔对文化融通的深层视野仍然像基因遗传在第五代子孙Sundaram Tagore 的血液里。 「当我曾曾祖父拿到诺贝尔文学奖后，把奖金都捐到大学去，他深信人道主义（humanity）而非民族主义（nationalism）会令世界变好。我也深受影响，艺术不是商品也不只讲求美轮美奂，最重要是有没有达到历史解码的功能。」Sundaram Tagore这印度大文豪之后如是说。他更侃侃而谈「文化冲击」作为自己收藏和经营事业的单一准则与品味。

Sundaram Tagore Gallery has been named one of the top galleries in the world by Blouin Artinfo and Modern Painters magazine.

每一次，無論是在靜謐的畫廊，或器雜的藝展，站在千住博的，”瀑布” 系列前，總有一種沐浴於靈光的感動。

藝術，是一種由藝術家要犧牲自己的生命，身不由己地傳達這些自己也不甚明白的，高於人類標準的 "美" 因此，藝術是關乎 "感召" 。

這是為什麼千住博被公認為日本國寶級藝術家, 他的 "瀑布" 系列、以半寶石、珊瑚、貝母、動物皮膠混合的傳統日本畫礦物顏料、毛筆（以至噴筆），將當日在原始森林受水靈洗滌一新的感召經驗，一次又一次寫在桑皮紙上。

Acclaimed Japanese artist, Hiroshi Senju's solo show in Sundaram Tagore Gallery awards the viewer a glimpse of serenity and an inkling of the passage of time as planet earth measures it rather than in fleeting human terms.

〜藝術是想像的交流與傳達〜

Gazing upon Hiroshi Senju’s large-scale, mystical waterfalls, one isn’t immediately struck by the questions: What is beauty? What is art? “Here is beauty”, you think. “Here is art”.

Sundaram Tagore sees his role as facilitating arts dialogue between cultures.

Inspired by the beauty of waterfalls, Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju speaks with Hong Kong Tatler about his passion to create beyond nationality and embracing art as a global practice.

Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju is a celebrated master of the 1,000-year-old Nihonga style of painting, which uses natural ingredients, such as ground rocks, shells and coral as materials.

Sundaram Tagore Gallery 於4月16日至6月9日在香港隆重舉行享譽國際藝壇的日本當代藝術大師千住博（Hiroshi Senju）個人展覽：《日之瀑布．夜之瀑布》，呈獻一系列巨幅熒光瀑布畫作。

古哲先賢常道「智者樂水」，認為水既是天地萬物之源, 為人類供豐饒的物質，其萬千之姿也能讓人感悟造物的奧妙。日本當代藝術家千住博，同樣好奇「水」的幻變性，常跑到郊野觀察並將所見所想入畫，而他香港的個 人展覽＂日之瀑布，夜之瀑布＂中展示的螢光瀑布作品，就是他多年來跨越繁華與自然，現實與夢幻境界的重要藝術結晶。

Over at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, which has branches in New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore, a pair of waterfall paintings by Japanese master Hiroshi Senju went home with an American collector based in Singapore.

Sundaram Tagore on his eponymous gallery in Singapore, uniting art from the East and West.

Sundaram targets the West Kowloon Cultural District as the gallery’s future location and plans to introduce local artists to the international art scene.

The exquisite works in Hiroshi Senju’s series “Cliffs,” 2012—eleven mixed-media paintings, one triptych, all on mulberry paper mounted on board—appear to illustrate Lao-tzu’s idea of Tao as a sort of universal flow or elemental flux informing all things.

Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju is best known for the serenity of his large-scale waterfall paintings that he has made since 1990. His recent cliff paintings that he has developed since 2007 articulate both artistic and metaphysical tension.

Sundaram Tagore has a distinct sense of style. That's probably just as well, bearing in mind his status as an art historian and the owner of a gallery that bears his name.

The design of the Hiroshi Senju Museum Karuizawa is a collaborative effort between Ryue Nishizawa and the Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju, whose paintings from 1978 to the present day are on display at the new museum.

Sundaram Tagore Gallery has supported Fine Art Asia since the fair started in 2006. It has branches in Hong Kong, New York and Beverley Hills. The gallery specialises in artwork that interweaves the modern, the cultural and the abstract.

Established in 2000 in New York and with branches in Beverly Hills and Hong Kong, Sundaram Tagore Gallery was the first international gallery to open in Hong Kong.

Hiroshi Senju became a famous artist in the same way Ernest Hemingway described a man going broke: “Two ways, gradually and then suddenly.”

One of the early arrivals, back in 2007, was Sundaram Tagore, a gallerist with outposts in New York and Beverly Hills who focuses on the intersection of Western and non-Western art and shows pieces that further a global dialogue.

At the time, Mr. Tagore was one of the first international gallery owners to open a space in the city. Since then several foreign galleries have followed, including Gagosian Gallery and Ben Brown Fine Arts. “Hong Kong has become an important artistic center,” said Mr. Tagore. “There is an audience here that has a voracious appetite for art.”

Sundaram Tagore Gallery will present a group exhibition, "Facing East’, of works that transcend cultural boundaries while reflecting Eastern elements. The show represents artists of Korean, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Uzbeki-Israeli origins. These works define an aesthetic language of East-West dialogue, featuring artists Kim Joon, Nathan Slate Joseph, Sohan Qadri, Hiroshi Senju, Robert Yasuda, Nhat Tran, Amina Ahmed, and Taylor Kuffner. Through their works, these artists struggle to create a sense of beauty that is universal through a wide range of mediums.

For his second solo exhibition in Hong Kong, California-based American painter Lee Waisler presents a series of moving portraits of historical and contemporary figures. Having practiced abstraction for decades, Waisler returned to figuration full-force six years ago, making what he calls "dimensional portraits," combining strips of wood and blocks of color to create nuanced faces and figures.

"Sundaram Tagore Gallery opened its doors in 2000 with a mission to foster the exchange of ideas between different cultures. With three locations in New York, Hong Kong and Beverly Hills, the stable of transnational artists straddles the terrain of east and west. The artists fail from such countries as India, Japan, Korea, , Uzbekistan, Mexico, Europe and America. The galleries have become known for cultural activities and collaborative events across the world."

"It would be no exaggeration to call the works of Hiroshi Senju 'out of this world.' In his first solo show in Hong Kong at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, the celebrated Japanese artist reveals a new dimension to his inner vision. Transcendence flows through his sublime waterfalls and fills the landscape of canyons and cliffs, in a series of new works that are unveiled especially for the local audience."

"The Art section of Hong Kong International Art and Antiques Fair 2009 will feature exceptional works by celebrated artists in a diversity of artistic styles and media. Sundaram Tagore Gallery of New York, Beverly Hills and Hong Kong will show work that encourages a dialogue between the East and West. Featured artists include Hiroshi Senju(Japan), Sohan Qadri (India) and Kim Joon (Korea) along with Susan Weil (USA), Natvar Bhavsar (India)."

"If one encounters Hiroshi Senju's work in the Tokyo International Airport
hanging high from the ceiling or under the atmospheric lighting of the
Tokyo Grand Hyatt Hotel, one will surely be moved by their power."

"Aside from exhibiting a wide variety of antiques, the Hong Kong International Art and Antiques fair has also invited contemporary artists to display their latest works. A specially presented work in the fair is Day Falls Night Falls VI by the Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju who was the first Asian artist to receive an individual award in the Venice Biennale. His painting style is a blend of traditional Japanese painting style and contemporary aesthetics."

"Aesthetically, when the East meets West seamlessly, the results can be staggering. Such is the case for Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju whose waterfall paintings have been renowned for years. In 1995, he became the first Asian artist to receive an individual award at the Venice Biennale, propelling him to become one of Japan's most celebrated artists."

"Humans need to commune with the elements of nature and art at its best can provide such an experience of communion. Artists often reflect on nature and transform it into intensely condensed metaphors, poems, and songs.Through his sublime paintings, Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju has contemplated multiple facets of water, especially its fundamental power, for almost twenty years [...]n essence, he transforms solid materials from the earth to create images of elusive aquatic torrents."

And Finally, after being interested in the sky, I discovered the waterfall. I felt something clicking as if I recognized some kind of DNA that I had in me, like a past memory. I find that a lot of people whether they are Europeans, Americans or Japanese have similar feelings towards waterfalls. I find that these emotions go beyond the boundaries East/West, or old/new. Once I understood what art was all about and that art should go beyond people's boundaries, it was very important for me to further explore that path.

Sundaram Tagore Gallery showing of Hiroshi Senju's Waterfalls are nature inspired, well crafted paintings that express movement.

The contemporary-art market may be down, but it is definitely not out. In fact, these unKoonsian times, like many downturns before, allow artists and dealers to be more creative, and collectors to focus on the fundamentals […] Sundaram Tagore, a grandnephew of Indian poet Rabindranath and a dealer with galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong says good art works by key artists—especially in the $500,000 and over range—have been moving.

Art historian Sundaram Tagore's doctoral thesis looks at Indian artists' response to European modernisation from the 1940s to 1980s. As a curator, however, his focus is more on the here and now. Hence the title of his gallery's latest group exhibition by 18 international artists, which opens today at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery's Hong Kong branch.

Sundaram Tagore Gallery making it's first appearance at ART20, placed the emphasis on the exchange of ideas between Western and non-Western cultures.

Features Hiroshi Senju, Sohan Qadri, Nathan Slate Joseph and Hosook Kang. Photographs by Marc Baptiste.
Also includes an interview with Sundaram Tagore.

"I started painting by brush," Senju says. "It didn't really work the way I wanted it to, It was more like the Hudson River School or the work of 19th-Century European artists, which was not what I wanted to do. The more I painted the more I felt to the two most important elements on the earth - gravity and water. And I thought: why don't I try to use gravity, to pour down the paint from the top?"

"...Less-colour-saturated but no less intuitive are the pieces by Natvar Bhavsar, who sprinkles pigment delicately on his canvases in an echo of Jackson Pollock, although the works' understated quality reflects a gentle Asian sensibility that's the opposite of the American painter's frenetic, ego-driven style..."

"...Senju creates, from the most simple of low-tech means, cinematic spectacles that appear to be in motion. They are startlingly beautiful works - perhaps too beautiful, since we tend to be wary of beauty - and raise the question of optical trickery, although the trickery is completely transparent..."

"With galleries in three cities across the world, and plans for two more, Sundaram Tagore tends to take a global perspective."

"Art, globalization and inter-cultural dialogue are themes dear to Tagore. The latter populates his conversation and is reflected in the work he shows. Recent exhibits at his Chelsea gallery have included the metalwork of an Israeli-American, Nathan Slate Joseph; the lush, Scandinavian-influenced paintings by the Indian artist Sohan Qadri; and the ethereal waterfalls of Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju. Tagore's gallery statemnt, afterall, is to develop exhibitions and host events that "engage in spiritual, social and aesthetic dialogues with traditions other than our own."..."

"Hong Kong's ambition to be Asia's art hub received another boost with the recent arrival of three top galleries: Gagosian, Sundaram Tagore and Tang Contemporary. Sundaram Tagore opened on the city's gallery street, Hollywood Road, on May 9."

"...With two other locations in New York and Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Sundaram Tagore Gallery represents some of the most well known contemporary artists, such as Hiroshi Senju and Judith Murray..."

"Gallerist Sundaram Tagore said, "All these artists have spent their lives working in and exploring different Eastern and Western cultures - including India, China, Nepal, Japan, Italy, Holland and America. Together they create an incredible mosaic and foster an intercultural dialogue that reflects a diversity of thought and artistic style."

"Tagore explains how his passion for art has enabled him to dissolve differences in cultures and bring them together in a unique and creative way, denoting that art can transcend all culture and social standings."

"These 'philosophical discussions' are fundamental to Tagore's vision for his galleries, or 'cultural spaces' as he prefers to call them. Unlike galleries that buy and sell art solely as a monetary transaction, Tagore has a mission to create a global community of artists and foster a dialogue between Western and non-Western cultures."

"Among the returning dealers is New York's Sundaram Tagore Gallery, which is bringing a selection of richly hued abstractions, priced between $25,000 and $250,000, by the likes of Natavar Bhavsar and Hiroshi Senju, who were born in Gujurat, India, and Tokyo, respectively."

"...His art reflects [this] geographical and cultural duality, for his approach combines ancient Japanese painting practices with modern Western imagery."

"Hiroshi Senju, one of the world's most revered and internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, is a painter with divinity."

"...Hiroshi Senju, one of Japan's most revered and internationally acclaimed contemporary artists showed 27 murals at Japan's Yamatane Museum of Art..."

"Hiroshi Senju is renowned for his unique combination of modernism and ancient methods of Japanese painting."

"...a group of four gloriously shimmering works [by Hiroshi Senju] from this acclaimed series."

"Hiroshi Senju, one of Japan's most revered and internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, will complete his work in December of 2006 on a set of 27 syohekiga murals to be donated to Shofuso."

"Senju says . . . artists can be recognized as worldwide ones only when their works have been publicly recognized as those which have a clear-cut philosophy and vision toward world peace and environmental conservation."

"Coming to the 21st century, we bade farewell to contemporary art of the 20th century . . . realizing that only art works which are recorded in history can lend us encouragement, vitality and healing."