A Dance with the Ephemeral

by Lauren Salopek March 14, 2025

The bud's blooming breath

The potter's fired heartbeat

Limited, lasting

From the moment a flower is plucked for display in an arrangement, it has limited time left to blossom. Yet in that short time, it still has immense beauty to share. This interplay of life and (imminent) death is central to the Japanese practice of ikebana (literally "making flowers alive"), and of Contemporary Craft's 芸 [Gei]: The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal. Gei (meaning art, craft, artistic skill) brings together the fleeting beauty of ikebana florals with the enduring artistry of pottery and sculpture. Combined, these two art forms transcend the beauty of their individual practices and create something truly captivating.

Without seeing ikebana in person, it's difficult to capture exactly how different it is from an average bouquet. The practice is less "flower arranging," and more akin to building a sculpture of flowers and botanicals. Traditional ikebana arrangements are works of art on their own, with the choice of vessel being fully incorporated into the design. Gei offers several stunning examples of this ikebana principle in its collection, among standalone pottery pieces and larger-scale floor arrangements; but one artist, and one piece in particular, commanded my attention as I made my way through the exhibit just after opening day.

On a display table of raw-edge wood slabs, Contemporary Craft has arranged a series of Japanese stoneware and clay pottery adorned with simple ikebana arrangements. Spaced so that any piece could take center stage in a viewer's attention, I was nonetheless drawn in by a small, abstract-shaped piece in neutrals of deep brown and bright white, with ikebana in coordinating colors. Glazed white stripes, placed with symmetrical precision, follow the curves and lines of the pottery's shape, which somewhat resembles an animal: an elephant with her trunk tucked in, or perhaps a baby tapir with its dappled white patterns. My first thought was, "She's cute," but the longer I looked, the more nuanced and delicate my view became; the more fond I grew of this piece; the more alive it seemed. This is Dancer, by Miwa Neishi.

Despite its humble size, Dancer was adorned, as of my visit, with a tall crest of dried brown buds; a vivid white chrysanthemum rested atop her "head," almost like a crown. Sogetsu Pittsburgh, who provides the ikebana aspect of the exhibit, will change out the arrangements every week throughout Gei's run; and yet I felt certain that no other arrangement could fit this piece so perfectly or precisely. It's more than the use of color, which is in beautiful harmony with that of the pottery: the gentle curve of the spray of dried buds looks as though it grew naturally out of the sculpture. Even a single drooping petal of the chrysanthemum looks as though it's mimicking the white glazed lines Neishi has painted onto Dancer. I know this is a simple accident of nature and that the placement of this singular petal could not have been planned or predicted by the person who chose this flower. But its perfection in alignment with the artistry of Neishi's piece was simply breathtaking.

I can't claim to be an expert, but this kind of simplicity in nature's movement seems to capture the essence of the artistry of ikebana. That wilting petal drooping over Dancer's form is art all by itself. And the dead, dried buds that make the spectacular spray above it – where else but in ikebana could a flower no longer in bloom look so alive? And Dancer, too, is brought to life by the florals that adorn it: on its own, it is somewhat anthropomorphic, almost animal-like. With the buds and blooms added, it is a lifeform, so full of spirit that it looks as though it may begin to wander across the tabletop – or to dance.

Drawn by the promise of this ever-changing exhibit, I headed back to Contemporary Craft a few weeks later to see Dancer's new adornments. My certainty that nothing could have been more fitting than its first brown and white arrangement dissolves the second I see the piece again. This time, the energy is different, but no less alive. The tall, sprawling spray of buds has been replaced by a short, broad monstera leaf that appears to act as a parasol, shielding Dancer from the hot sun. Of course it's not a parasol, and the shady respite is from Contemporary Craft's lighting, not the sun – but once again, Neishi's pottery is brought so vividly to life by Sogetsu's ikebana that I can't help but imagine it as an animal taking its rest in the wild. Even the speckled insides of the pink foxglove buds seem to suggest something like an iris: placed right near the circular void of Dancer's design, this part of the composition appears more like an eye than ever. Resting this time rather than dancing, I feel like this piece is looking at me, engaging with me, perhaps about to give a wink and an offer to rest by its side for a while. I am astonished once more at how these two art forms can animate such spirit within the inanimate.

My second viewing also brings to the forefront yet another aspect of Gei's presentation: the lighting. With the wide leaf hovering over Dancer, the play of light and shadow strike new notes in the harmony of ikebana. The slits in the monstera leaf cast small, symmetrical breaks in the shadow that echo the glazed lines of Neishi's work, not unlike the chrysanthemum in its previous arrangement. With the linework extending out, from pottery to botanical to shadow on the wooden display table, the dance between the art forms and their gallery space swells to the size of a symphony. It is not just clay craft and ikebana working together: it is the entire environment and the objects within it that become the art. I take Dancer up on its silent offer to rest: I stop, and try to linger in this moment where I, the viewer, am a part of the carefully-placed choreography of the exhibit.

Miwa Neishi's Dancer, accompanied by Sogetsu Pittsburgh's ikebana, embodies the greater success of Contemporary Craft's 芸 [Gei]. The exhibit combines fleeting art forms with more permanent ones in such a way that the space itself, and even the viewers within it, becomes a work of art. The constant change in ikebana compels you to return, with the promise that no two visits will give the same experience. Whether you take in the exhibit as a whole, or get pulled in by one magnetic piece, there will always be new details to notice and fall in love with each time. Come be a part of the dance. Let 芸 [Gei] take you on a journey – while it lasts.