Kintsugi – The Art of Finding Beauty in the Crack
From Iris Eshet Cohen
There is a moment when everything breaks.
A favorite vase falls to the floor, a mug filled with stories cracks, or a heart simply shatters into little pieces. In such moments, it feels as though there is no way to return to what once was.
But in Japan, where a fracture is seen as an inseparable part of beauty, the art of Kintsugi was born, a word that translates to “joining with gold.”
Instead of hiding the cracks, they are accentuated.
The shattered pieces are carefully joined together with lacquer mixed with gold or silver powder, transforming each break into a golden seam, an illuminated scar that tells the story of what was lost and what has endured. The piece does not return to being “as good as new”;
rather, it becomes something else, richer, more beautiful, and more real.
The philosophy behind Kintsugi is rooted in the principles of Wabi-Sabi, the beauty of imperfection, impermanence, and authenticity. It is an invitation to accept the broken parts as integral to the whole, not as flaws to be hidden or erased. Each crack is evidence of existence, and a space where light can shine through
I invite you to look differently at what has been broken: an object, a memory, or even yourself.
Perhaps within the cracks lies the true gift.
In a repaired object, I see a lesson in silence, patience, and loyalty to what is. Kintsugi reminds us that not every crack must be concealed; some are meant to let the light in.
There is something revolutionary in this idea, especially in a world that worships perfection, newness, and constant polishing.
Kintsugi invites us to slow down and truly see the broken parts, not to discard or disguise them, but to mend them with love. It is an art of compassion, acceptance, and reconciliation between what was and what could be.
When I look at a repaired object touched by Kintsugi, I think of our own lives, of the years, the disappointments, the losses, and the wounds we have gathered along the way. Perhaps we too, like these objects, carry cracks that can become beams of light. Perhaps the gold that fills those fractures is our story, our striving, our humanity.
I am happy to invite you to visit my site, to enjoy the ceramics, paintings and bronze combined with gold that always gives a new dimension to the work.
Waiting for you at the gallery in Jaffa Port TLV facing the sea!
Good day.
With love,
Iris Eshet Cohen
Share:
Feel free to read
Feel free to read
Iris Eshet Cohen Gallery
www.iris-art.co.il
3 Ratzif Haaliya Haaliya Hashniya st Tlv Jaffa Port
