The Wave Effect -
From a Japanese to Global Icon

31 December - 31 May 2025

Group exhibition at Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art.

Curated by Etty Glass Gissis

Katsushika Hokusai's iconic print, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (1831-1833), part of his renowned Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, is a powerful and enduring symbol of Japanese art. Despite its modest size and commercial production, this piece stands as one of the most recognized artworks globally. The print famously contrasts the monumental Mount Fuji with the towering wave, creating a dynamic tension between nature's forces. Although popularly known as The Great Wave, the true focus of the image remains in the majestic mountain.

This exhibition explores the three central elements of Hokusai's masterpiece - wave, boat, and mountain - through the lens of both Japanese, international and Israeli artists. The show features 90 works that reinterpret these elements in the context of their respective periods. The wave is examined as a force of nature, an abstract boundary, and a metaphor for existential anxiety and social isolation. Boats, navigating through the waves, are explored in the context of war and migration, reflecting both Japanese and global artistic responses to displacement. Mount Fuji is represented in both traditional Japanese art and contemporary Israeli works that express a deep cultural connection to the mountain and to nature.

The exhibition also highlights the work of young, emerging artists, offering fresh and bold perspectives that challenge the legacy of Hokusai's The Great Wave through diverse and innovative visual interpretations.

Ament describes her work as driven by the rhythm of her nervous system, shaped by the natural wonders of the mountain and the heart of the ocean. Her reliefs capture the tension between beauty and horror within a storm, reflecting both the ancient power of nature and the emotional currents of the contemporary body. She explains, “My hands search through the darkness of the unknown, pulling a form from the depths of the sea, creating an emotional wave embedded in matter.”

Regarding her graphite and water drawings, Ament says, “Like a night vision, the drift of the water forms a spiral of waves, as though writing a letter in black waters. A letter between the sea and the mountain, the sky and the shore - visions of water.” Through her work, she evokes the delicate yet powerful interplay of nature’s forces and the emotional landscapes they inspire.