Series: Transmigration (Transferred Soul)
Medium: Wood engraving with chine-collé
Dimensions: 12 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1944
Date finished: 1988
Edition: of 40

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist):

Keisei Kobayashi's intricate wood engravings often explore themes around ecology and nature mysticism. His piece Roots B from the 'Transmigration' series is a beautiful depiction of the reciprocity between humans and nature within the process of death. At a quick glance, the image appears to be of a dead tree, its scraggly and bare branches inviting the company of crows. A closer look reveals a glowing figure, sitting within the roots of the tree and bringing new life through the trunk. A clear symbol of rebirth in light of death, it also conveys a feeling of peaceful renewal in the midst of grief.

Medium: Mezzotint and chine-collé
Dimensions: 13 1/2 x 11 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1985
Edition: of 15

Recommended by Paige:

(Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator)

This piece merges impeccable technique with expression of a feeling. The hands are beautifully detailed and blur upward to ambiguous peaks where the peoples' faces and bodies should be. I can see it is as reminder to not be too still, too settled, or risk becoming a bystander that forms the background of life.

Medium: Hand-colored etching with chine-collé
Dimensions: 10 1/2 x 8 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1929 - 2017
Date finished: 1987
Edition: of 100

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist / Gallery Associate):

Often considered a symbol of grief, poppies are one of my very favorite flowers and I appreciate the unique way Art Hansen portrays them with soft textures and muted tones. The symbolism of this flower is beautifully communicated by the subdued color palette and the way the poppies are drooping and wearily leaning into each other. They even appear to be experiencing grief themselves, curled around one another in a gentle embrace. The combination of fully bloomed poppies and new buds represents the timelessness of grief - whether new or old, it is ever-present and universal, and also deeply unifying.

Medium: Hand-colored etching with chine-collé
Dimensions: 4 x 4 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1969
Date of impression: 2019
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist / Gallery Associate):

The symbolism within Mariko Ando's illustrative etchings reveals deeply unifying and poignant narratives, told through her animal subjects. Surrounded by thorny roses, the rabbit is attentively watching a gently floating feather, ready to catch it with their nimble fingers before it falls into the thorns. I see this as a reminder to seek softness and tenderness in my life, even when faced with the threat of pain, while the blood red roses call to my mind the often beautiful and life-affirming nature of painful experiences.