Die Kunst des Kreises
Sato is more than just a shop for European-Japanese living culture. Since the 1990s, Sato has also been a meeting place for art, culture, craftsmanship, design and music. Guests have included Muji's art director Kenya Hara, ink painter Tohun Kobayashi, and musician Nik Bärtsch.
Continuing this tradition, from 18th September 2025 Sato presents Sanae Sakamoto, a Japanese artist who at over 80 years of age remains actively creative every day. Her works are diverse, inspiring, spiritual and entertaining – each brushstroke tells its own story.
The Circle
Sakamoto is particularly fascinated by a visually simple motif: the circle. This recurring element of Zen painting represents emptiness, but also infinity and the art of accepting everything. For the artist, the circle also embodies a contradiction, as she explained in an interview with SRF: it is both the simplest and most difficult motif at the same time.
The challenge lies in painting the perfect circle in a single brushstroke – the supreme discipline of Zen painting. In doing so, the mind must be as empty as the circle itself. “But emptying the mind is one of the most difficult exercises,” says Sanae Sakamoto.
The Right Moment
A ritual helps her with this creative challenge: before painting, she meditates until she senses the right moment to place the brush on the handmade Japanese paper. “I never know beforehand whether it will succeed,” she admits. Sometimes this creates an incredibly beautiful circle that she could never repeat in quite the same way again. This moment is pure joy.
Sanae Sakamoto has held numerous solo exhibitions both domestically and abroad. Her works are represented in significant collections such as the Würth Art Collection. In 1995, she became known to a wider public when her calligraphy adorned the tail fin of a Swissair aircraft.
The Exhibition
From 18th September 2025 to 21st March 2026, Sato presents over 70 recent works by Sanae Sakamoto, including classical calligraphies, modern ink paintings and traditional scroll paintings. All works are for sale, offering the opportunity to acquire authentic Japanese art.
Particularly noteworthy are the events during the exhibition period: the vernissage on Thursday, 18th September at 6 pm will open with a live performance by the artist. A matinée on Sunday, 21st September at 10 am, as well as another small performance on Sunday, 4th December at 5 pm, offer opportunities to see Sakamoto at work and learn more about her art. All tours take place without registration. The finissage on 21st March 2026 from noon to 4 pm concludes the exhibition.
The exhibition lasts from 18th September 2025 to 21st March 2026 and is open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 5pm and Saturdays from noon to 4pm. Further information can be found here.
