Kemio and Wabisuke Tsubaki: Between Pop and Silence
Kemio and Wabisuke Tsubaki: Between Pop and Silence
"Let's all survive!"
When you first hear these words, you might think they're just a high-energy chant. But if you listen carefully, you'll realize they contain deep empathy and an echo of a prayer for survival in the times. Kemio's words may be the modern-day "wabi-sabi."
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that embodies the sensibility to find beauty in imperfection and transience. Things that are not perfect, things that change over time, and emotions that reside in stillness. The essence of wabi-sabi is the attitude of caring for such things.
For example, there is a camellia flower called the Wabisuke Tsubaki. Its appearance, which appears to be missing a petal, gives it a modest and quiet beauty that is the polar opposite of flashy. It is not as flashy as cherry blossoms in full bloom, but its imperfection makes it all the more memorable. It is just like the image of us that Kemio shows us on social media: "Even if we're a little flawed, we're still cute and strong."
Kemio's words are filled with the anxieties and loneliness that young people today feel, as well as the power to make them laugh. They are not just buzzwords, but a mirror that reflects the mood of the times, and at the same time, they also empathize with the "stillness" and "wavering" that lie deep within our hearts.
The resonance of Kemio's sayings and wabi-sabi
For example, the word "agemizawa" is used when you are excited, but that momentary feeling of elation quickly disappears, just like the mist of spring. However, it is this fleeting sparkle that is beautiful. This is exactly what the "wabi" (sabi) feeling is about.
The word "I'm crying" is also memorable. This word spills unconsciously when emotions are turbulent, and it is filled with loneliness, empathy, and healing. "I'm crying" is said when someone's words have touched your heart, or when you acknowledge your own weakness, and it overlaps with the feeling of "sabi" in wabi-sabi.
And then there's the famous line, "Being yourself is something you'll never know for the rest of your life." This is an antithesis to the curse of "being yourself" that young people today are burdened with. Wabi-sabi doesn't force you into a mold of how things "should be," but rather values "white space." You don't have to become anything. Even if something is incomplete, wavering, and ambiguous, it is beautiful. Kemio's words convey this spirit of wabi-sabi in pop language.
Wabi-Sabi: A Concept I Want to Share with Young People
Young people today get excited or depressed by the number of "likes" they get on social media, and can get tired of trying to appear perfect. At times like these, Kemio's words can help them relax. They gently encourage them by saying, "It's okay not to be perfect," and "Just being alive today is a great thing."
Kemio transforms everyday failures, anxieties, and even loneliness into something "cute and funny." This overlaps with the essence of wabi-sabi. Colors suddenly appear in silence. Someone's voice in solitude. It is precisely because things are imperfect that a story is born. Kemio expresses these feelings in a natural way.
WABISUKE is a place that collects such "poetry of everyday life." Poems that are modest yet have a definite presence, like the Wabisuke camellia. Poems that are pop yet somehow harbor a sense of tranquility, like Kemio's words. We weave our articles while cherishing such sensibilities.
The word "wabi-sabi" may seem a little difficult for young people to understand. But if there's a moment when you think, "It's kind of emotional," or "I might understand it a little," then that's enough. Wabi-sabi is not something you learn, it's something you feel. I would be happy if you could get in touch with that feeling through Kemio's words.
The flower language of Wabisuke Camellia and Kemio
Incidentally, the flower language of the Wabisuke camellia is "modest splendor" and "humble kindness." This exactly overlaps with the kindness that Kemio's words possess. Words that don't shout loudly, but gently embrace one another. When encouraging someone, they don't force encouragement, but say, "I understand." That is Kemio and the Wabisuke camellia.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of social media, Kemio's words remain in our hearts like a single flower blooming in a quiet garden. That flower may not be perfect, but that is precisely why we can identify with it and find healing.
Rediscovering Wabi-Sabi
Perhaps we are now searching for a new form of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is alive not only in traditional tea houses and gardens, but also on the screen of our smartphones. With the help of artists like Kemio, who express it with a modern sensibility, we can discover "ancient yet new beauty."
WABISUKE will introduce this modern wabi-sabi in various forms. Tradition and pop, silence and sparkle, solitude and empathy. Though seemingly contradictory, these emotions and aesthetic sensibilities are in fact deeply connected, and we will weave them together through words and visuals.