SHINGO OKAZAKI

三礼三拍 SANHAKU SANREI

with Douglas Diaz [ douglas diaz.com ]

 

meaning: bow three times,clap hands three times. As it was customary in ancient times, Japanese would visit shinto shrines from time to time. As they entered the shrine they would preform the “SANREI SANHAKU”. This act, which means(感謝) grateful, (喜び )pleasure, (尊敬 ) respect” to God, is done when giving offerings or showing gratitude.

Basing our collaborative work on this act, we decided to make a three part series that explored each gesture. The entire body of work served as a way to marry our artistic and conceptual interest.

 

The first collaboration (尊敬—respect), was performed at the Yusuhara Hachuman-gū shrine in Oita, Japan. We choose this location because of its cultural significance and it also happens to be Shingo’s home prefecture. Beginning our work in a shrine held both symbolic and purifying significance. The idea of “paying” respect as a gesture to the gods, but also to one another took on another dimension while working in such a holy site.

 

The second collaboration (感謝 grateful) was performed in Nara, itself considered one of the most sacred and spiritual places in Japan. We choose this location for those reasons but also because we were both selected to be part of a group show taking place in a remote village within Nara prefecture. Diving into the concept of grateful, we looked at what it means to be grateful, what are we grateful for and the implications of gratitude as a surrendering in as much as it is an offering.

 

The third and final collaboration of this series (喜び pleasure) was per-formed in Bangkok at Douglas’ studio. Thematically the city of Bangkok is considered one of the most hedonistic cities in the world, which fit nicely

with our concept. During this collaboration we explored ideas of self pleasure, the pleasure that arises between two people, the intensity of pleasure itself, amongst other ideas.

​