Artist Books > In Praise of Shadows

Inspired by the important role that shadows play in Japanese aesthetics, the book takes its title and text from Junichiro Tanizaki’s seminal essay “In Praise of Shadows,” a treatise that explores the haunting and subtly beautiful ways that darkness and light interact in Japanese works of art.

This book uses the traditional Japanese tesuri-kako-ho, or hand-rubbing, method to create watermarks that impress shadow-like images and text into handmade sheets mitsumata Japanese paper. The watermarks portray images of windows, doors, and other interior spaces. Their subtle, sharp lines create a shadow in each sheet of paper while at the same time enhancing the perception of looking through the paper into an open space.