Painting Enlightenment: The Art & Science of the Heart Sutra

The LSU Museum of Art presents the exhibition Painting Enlightenment, featuring works by Japanese scientist and artist Iwasaki Tsuneo (1917–2002). Iwasaki’s paintings create a contemplative journey—a meditation on the interconnectedness of the universe. Iwasaki’s work expands the practice of copying sacred texts, a form of devotion with a long history in Japan. In his creative sutra copying, he uses traditional Chinese characters to copy the text. Instead of separating the verses into vertical blocks, he reconfigures verses into images of DNA, lightning bolts, bubbles, atoms, and ants, collapsing distinctions with imagery representative of both scientific phenomena and Buddhist principles. Dr. Paula Arai, associate professor of philosophy and religious studies at LSU, is the guest curator for the exhibition. An opening reception will be held on September 8, 5:30 pm–8:30 pm, with a public lecture by Dr. Arai from 6 pm–7 pm (free for members, $5 for students and faculty, $10 for nonmembers). lsumoa.org.