Golden State Bonsai Federation Annual Convention
October 2017, Riverside Ca.
Co-curated by Richard Turner and Thomas S. Elias
Viewing Stones: Traditions in Transition introduces viewers to contemporary viewing stone display practices against the broad sweep of the history of the tradition. The exhibition is organized around the idea that the collection, display and appreciation of stones has been a dynamic process that started in China, spread to Japan and Korea and eventually to North America, Europe and around the world. This evolution guides the structure of the exhibition, leading the viewer from stones that were first appreciated in imperial China and Japan past examples of more recently discovered types of stones in these two cultures. Most of these stones, in addition to selected pieces from twelve different countries, are displayed on traditional bases with conventional accouterments such as plants and miniature figurines. As the viewer moves through the exhibition they begin to see different and more varied modes of stone display. The final section of the exhibit has six stones displayed in a contemporary manner.
Viewing Stones: Traditions in Transition was staged as part of the Golden State Bonsai Federation’s annual convention. A dramatic statement about the close tie between bonsai and viewing stones was made at the entrance to the exhibit. Visitors were greeted by a living olive bonsai and a large upright viewing stone—a piece of petrified wood—as a symbolic gesture to the transformation of living trees into stone (under certain environmental conditions) and the similarities between the two art forms.