daniel arsham re-interprets traditional japanese rock garden

daniel arsham presents ‘lunar garden’ at the gallery at cadillac house on view until november 5th. the installation combines sculpture, light, and audio features to create an immersive experience that represents the artist’s re-interpretation of a traditional japanese rock garden. bathed in a gradient of bright pink hues, the arsham’s sand garden includes a petrified tree and standing lantern. the only light source is a 9-foot in diameter orb, resembling the moon.

daniel arsham’s lunar garden installation at the gallery at cadillac house in NYC on view until november 5th

‘lunar garden’ at cadillac house, presented by VISIONAIRE, marks a change in arsham’s art portfolio. in many of his earlier works, the colorblind artist relied only on black, white, and grey tones. recently, through the use of special glasses, the artist has been able to see a greater variety of tones and colors, which he then incorporated prominently in his artworks.

the installation is bathed in a vibrant, pink light and includes a petrified tree and japanese lantern

‘after spending many years traveling to japan I became fascinated with the dry gardens in kyoto – specifically the way in which the gardens are permanent yet completely ephemeral and remade every day,’ arsham said. ‘I was also intrigued by the way light catches the patterns that are raked in the gardens. with the introduction of color into my work in 2016 I began to experiment with color gradients across these gardens. all of my work has the tendency to oat in time. the gardens, the position of the rocks, and the raking of the sand has occurred for hundreds of years, unchanged, every single day. these spaces, although they feel like they are in the present moment for us, essentially cross time. the use of color in these landscapes creates a sense that the gardens are simultaneously familiar and surreal.’

the only light source is a 9-foot in diameter orb, resembling the moon