Image: Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin
‘On the Life, Breath, and Death of Trees’ is on view in the Stern Gallery in Oberlin, United States, from 5 July 2026 through 3 July 2027.
The exhibition examines the presence of trees in East Asian art and global ecology through Chinese and Japanese paintings, ukiyo-e woodblock prints, contemporary photography, and video works. It traces the life cycles of various tree species while considering their symbolic resonance and artistic legacy, juxtaposing traditional aesthetics with modern environmental concerns.
The presentation invites consideration of trees as cultural icons, industrial resources and participants in Earth’s respiratory system. Featured works include Yamaguchi Kayō’s 1920 ink-and-colour-on-silk work ‘Egrets with Willow’ and Setsugai’s ‘Blossoming Plum’, a late-15th- to early-16th-century hanging scroll in ink and wash on paper.
A related hands-on woodworking event, ‘Tree Rings: A Bentwood Workshop’, is scheduled for 3 October 2026 at 1 p.m.
