Throughout history, we have been connected by art. From the beginning of our times to present day, we are beings of self-expression. Today, we introduce a new spin on a classic style, welcome to the Kinstugi Project.
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, きんつぎ, "golden joinery") is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the beauty and the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
(photo credit: http://tsugi.de)
Just as art has been integral to our existence, so have sex and violence. While the majority if us agree that ending sexual violence is a beautiful thing, it can often be too painful to look at. Through the Kintsugi Project, we aim to change this perception by showing the strength and beauty in coming together and healing.
Online exhibition / Gallery exhibition / Photography prints / A book
We are currently closing our application. Please enter your email address for the future notification about application or any other exciting news about the Kintsugi Project.
Applications to participate as a model for the Kintsugi Project is open right now. We are conducting interviews with each applicant to schedule the photo shoot.
The team working on the Kintsugi Project is made up of survivors of sexual assault and allies.
Tomo Saito: Ally and Friend of Survivor - Photographer
Asehli Howe: Survivor and Ally - Project Coordinator
Models: Survivors
Tomo Saito, Photographer
Hi, my name is Tomo Saito. My personal experience to support a close friend who survived sexual assault made me think of this project. I’m deeply hoping that the Kintsugi project has a positive impact on this topic through Art, since Art often transcends our limited thinking and mindsets for the new perspectives. As Albert Einstein stated, we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. I truly hope this project resonate you and help to form a strong community of survivors and allies who supports the survivors.
Asehli Howe, Project Coordinator
Hello there! My name is Asehli (uh-SAY-lee) and I am currently co-founding Survivor Alliance, a social enterprise dedicated to engaging society in a sexual revolution. I am honored to be partnering with Tomo and Yara on this project as it is a perfect reflection of my ideal society, one where survivors and allies come together at the intersections of community, creativity, and healing. Through the Kintsugi Project, I hope that we are able to highlight how sexual violence transcends demographics and is often the result of multiple forms of oppression. Yet, with everything that has tried to break us, it has only made us more beautiful and resilient.