Miya Ando b. 1973

Painted with ink on metal, this tondo by Miya Ando captures the ephemeral, transient experience of watching night clouds as they cover and uncover moonlight. The series to which this work belongs debuted in Ando’s exhibition Kumoji (Cloud Path / A Road Traversed By Birds And The Moon). The date stamp in the title illustrates the exact time and date that Ando observed the clouds on which she based the painting. As the title indicates, the Japanese word “unkai” literally translates into “sea of clouds.” Another Japanese word, Mugetsu, meaning invisible moon, describes another idea that supports the series—that of the simultaneous ethereality and reliable return of the phases of the moon. In the lunar calendar, the brightest full moon comes on the 15th day of the 8th month. Mugetsu specifically describes the experience of clouds obscuring the moon on that particular night. A practicing Buddhist, Ando works a lot with natural phenomena such as clouds and light to express the idea of impermanence. In this series, even though the moon is not visible, its presence is still an essential part of the work. The image is painted on metal, a material Ando appreciates for its ability to reflect light under constantly changing conditions. The strength and permanence of the material is juxtaposed by the ephemerality of the subject matter.