DAY 358

UNEXPECTED ART FORMS

Ancient Form Profaned by Pop Culture

WENDY MARUYAMA’S TEA HOUSE

An ancient Japanese legend from the Musashi province tells of a woodcutter who sought protection from a snowstorm inside an old-fashioned wooden hut. The shelter, however, proved defenseless against a fearsome snow-demon known as the Yuki-Onna, who effortlessly passed through the walls of the hut and took the woodcutter’s life.⁴¹

In a similar vein, Wendy Maruyama presents a traditional Japanese cultural form that—while rich in patina—appears unable to withstand a relentless onslaught of commercialism. Her sculptures often vacillate between reverence for the spiritual depth of time-tested Japanese traditions and contempt for the superficiality of contemporary society.

Architecturally, the Tea House remains true to tradition, complete with sliding doors, tatami floor mats, and the raised alcove known as the tokonoma. The sliding doors, however, are covered with the likeness of Hello Kitty, enlarged ad absurdum. Other panels have been defiled with anime-style images, alluding to the manga comic books so prevalent in modern-day Japan.

If the structural integrity of the Tea House remains unaffected by all the pop culture references, the metaphysical nature of the edifice appears to have been irreparably distorted by this maelstrom of shallow consumerism. —DJS