Phase Conception: Spring Sea, 1988
Gold leaf, acrylic paint on layers of thick handmade Japanese paper
64 x 89 x 2.5 in. (163 x 226 x 6.4 cm)
Signed, dated, and inscribed “N. Sekine ’88, G150-7, Spring Sea” (on a label affixed to the reverse)
Phase Conception: Spring Sea, detail, 1988
Gold leaf, acrylic paint on layers of thick handmade Japanese paper
64 x 89 x 2.5 in. (163 x 226 x 6.4 cm)
Signed, dated, and inscribed “N. Sekine ’88, G150-7, Spring Sea” (on a label affixed to the reverse)
Phase Conception: Spring Sea, detail, 1988
Gold leaf, acrylic paint on layers of thick handmade Japanese paper
64 x 89 x 2.5 in. (163 x 226 x 6.4 cm)
Signed, dated, and inscribed “N. Sekine ’88, G150-7, Spring Sea” (on a label affixed to the reverse)
Phase—Mother Earth, 1968
Earth, cement
Cylinder: 220 x 270 (diameter) cm, Hole: 220 x 270 (diameter) cm
Installation view: 1st Kobe Suma Rikyū Park Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, October 1 - November 10, 1968
Photograph by Osamu Murai
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
WE ARE THE LAND
Nobuo Sekine
Phase Conception: Spring Sea
September 9 – October 31, 2025
WATCH THE VIDEOS
A JENNIFER BAAHNG curatorial series, WE ARE THE LAND, begins with Nobuo Sekine’s monumental piece, “Phase Conception: Spring Sea” (1988). This artwork provides a compelling and relevant reflection on human interaction with the physical world. Sekine’s body of work—marked by precise formal craftsmanship, material resonance, and philosophical insight—explores the boundary between humanity and nature. His work is neither intrusive nor didactic; it remains calm, contemplative, and deeply connected, like the land itself. As contemporary artists seek to interpret and respond to ecological changes, WE ARE THE LAND features artworks that portray land as a symbol of identity, process, and interconnectedness.
Nobuo Sekine, a pioneering figure in postwar Japanese art, gained notable recognition in the mid-1960s as a co-founder of Mono-ha, also known as the “School of Things.” His exploration of natural and industrial materials demonstrated how these materials exist within the context of space and time. In Sekine’s early masterpiece, “Phase-Mother Earth” (1968), a cylindrical hole was excavated into the ground, and the displaced earth was shaped into a nearby column. This simple yet profound act highlighted Sekine’s long-standing focus on dualities—absence and presence, form and formlessness, earth and void; land itself serving as both the medium and subject.
In the 1980s, Nobuo Sekine launched the Phase Conception painting series, which captured the essence of Mono-ha. These later works, created with handmade paper, gold leaf, and industrial materials, emphasize his enduring interest in temporality, spatiality, and materiality. “Phase Conception: Spring Sea” exemplifies this concept through a wall installation while preserving the conceptual depth of his earthworks. It ranks among the largest pieces in his Phase Conception series. The title signifies a transitional season marked by awakening, fluidity, and atmospheric change. The surface appears shimmering, absorbing, and emitting—evoking a sense of vitality, responsiveness, and instability.
The visual intricacies in “Phase Conception: Spring Sea” are characterized by dense, earthy textures and cavities produced through gouged-out sections of the painting and their subsequent reapplication to the surface, echoing the theme of “Phase-Mother Earth.” Fluid, gestural brushstrokes suggest water flowing across the terrain. The artwork does not narrate a story; rather, it reflects interactions among various elements, establishing a complex relationship between materials. As Sekine posits, land is not a passive entity but an active realm; the painting is a site.
In an era marked by environmental crises, climate instability, and global displacement, WE ARE THE LAND explores a core truth. It questions the modern urge to dominate, control, or aestheticize nature. It invites us to be present, to feel, to perceive, and to see ourselves as connected to the physical world. Nobuo Sekine’s “Phase Conception: Spring Sea” offers a perspective on the world that is not centered on humans. It encourages us to understand what it means to be land — to shimmer, to shift, to erode, and to endure. WE ARE THE LAND reminds us that sometimes the most daring act is to do less, to observe more, and to coexist with what already exists.
BIO
Nobuo Sekine was a significant figure in postwar Japanese art and a prominent member of the Mono-ha movement. Born in Saitama, Japan, in 1942, he studied at Tama Art University in Tokyo, where he first developed an interest in sculpture and site-specific art. His 1968 earthwork “Phase-Mother Earth” is widely recognized as the catalyst for Mono-ha, a movement that redefined the artist’s relationship with materials, space, and perception. Sekine showcased his work internationally throughout his career, including at the Venice Biennale (1970). His pieces are part of the permanent collections of museums worldwide, such as the Guggenheim Museum, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul. Until he died in 2019, Sekine continued to be influential in reshaping the boundaries between object, environment, and perception.
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