An Obscure Miracle of Connection examines the works of Japanese-Canadian printmaker Noburo Sawai (1931–2016), focusing on themes of diaspora and hybridity within print-based media. Renowned for combining woodblock printing and intaglio techniques with a provocative exploration of the erotic, Sawai is celebrated as one of Canada’s finest print artists.
The exhibition highlights key connections within Sawai's oeuvre, reflecting on the intersections of crossed histories and cultures in the Canadian context.
About Noburo Sawai: Born in Takamatsu, Japan, Sawai immigrated to North America in 1946. He earned a BFA from Augsburg College (1966) and an MFA from the University of Minnesota (1969). After studying traditional woodblock printmaking under Toshi Yoshida in Tokyo, Sawai taught printmaking at the University of Calgary for over 20 years. His contributions extended to teaching in Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, and Baker Lake. In 1981, he founded Sawai Atelier in Vancouver, specializing in relief and intaglio printing. Sawai passed away in Vancouver in 2016 at the age of 85.
Exhibition Essay: Noor Bhangu, An Obscure Miracle of Connection [Download PDF] – TBD