Wabi-Sabi

In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Wabi connotes a humble nature, as well as imperfections that bring uniqueness to an object; sabi connotes beauty through an impermanence. Diamond’s exploration of the concept connects particularly with his photography, in which he had long celebrated the overlooked, ordinary, and ephemeral (as well as less directly his work as a healer with patients and students). Wabi-sabi in his work therefore refers to the understanding that everything and every person is both, to his use his term, Extra-ordinary (capitalized, and with the hyphen) and impermanent.

Timeline: Diamond began exploring the concept in his writings and lectures in 2014.

Quote:

“My life
– and yours –
Wabi-sabi:
Extra-ordinary,
each in its own way.
And impermanent.”