GREENPOINT, NY .- In an era of shifting global alliances, “Goddess”, the new Solo Exhibition by artist William Norton at PeepShow Space Redux, offers a meditation on the beauty of cultural exchange and the enduring need for harmony. Curated by Wade Bonds, the exhibition draws inspiration from the mythology of Mount Fuji and the ethereal beauty of Japanese aesthetics as seen through Western eyes, reminding us that the world is better when in balance.
At the heart of “Goddess” is the legend of Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess of Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms, a symbol of both power and fragility. Norton’s work embodies this duality, merging traditional Japanese influences with contemporary artistic sensibilities to explore the interplay of permanence and transience—an apt metaphor for international relationships in a time of uncertainty.
Mount Fuji (Fujiyama) has long served as a symbol of peace and resilience, particularly in post-war Japan. As the only country ever to experience nuclear bombings, Japan has embraced Fujiyama as an emblem of anti-war sentiment, a reminder of both destruction and survival. Norton’s engagement with Fuji’s mythology taps into this legacy, suggesting a broader reflection on conflict, reconciliation, and the potential for beauty to emerge from devastation.
As America’s relationships with longtime allies like Mexico, Canada, and Japan continue to evolve, “Goddess” highlights the cultural dialogues that persist beyond politics. Since the 1950s, Japan and the U.S. have shared not only a strategic alliance but a deep artistic and philosophical exchange. Norton, who was raised in Japan as an army brat viewing Fujiyama every day, represents this ongoing dialogue, his work infused with the structured discipline of Japanese aesthetics alongside a reverence for imperfection and transformation.
As art critic William Corwin recently observed in Gallery & Studio Arts Journal, Norton is an artist who “collects ideas and forms, and unites them in strange shimmering and glistening combines which force contradictory things into close quarters.” This dynamic tension is central to “Goddess”, where materials such as plexiglass, gold leaf, canvas, paper, paint, and wood come together to reflect the interplay between tradition and innovation, stability and flux—mirroring the delicate balance that defines international alliances.
Norton’s work also engages with the Japanese philosophies of wabi-sabi (the beauty of imperfection) and kintsugi (the art of repairing broken objects with gold), which offer an alternative perspective on resilience and transformation. At a time when global divisions dominate the conversation, “Goddess” suggests a different vision one in which the blending of cultures, ideas, and histories leads not to discord, but to something stronger and more beautiful.
The exhibition will be open weekends from 12-6 pm and by appointment at PeepShow Space Redux, a Bonds & Norton Galleries Production, from [February 15, 2025] to [March 29, 2025].
