Kintsugi: repairing with gold to give value to broken things (PHOTO)

Kintsugi or kintsukuroi is the Japanese art of repairing ceramic objects with gold. In this way, what is broken is not set aside or thrown away but acquires great value. Usually gold is used, mixtures created with gold or silver dust, but also bronze, brass or copper dust.

Il kintsugi o kintsukuroi è the Japanese art of repairing with gold the shattered ceramic objects. In this way, what breaks is not set aside or thrown away but buys a great value. Usually, mixtures created with gold or silver dust, but also bronze, brass or copper dust are used.

This Japanese technique allows you to obtain items of great value both from an artistic point of view, due to the beauty of the decorations, and from an economic point of view, given that precious metals are used.

The creations that take place in this way are all unique pieces, since the way in which the ceramic tableware can break and shatter is always unpredictable. The art of kintsugi is based on a very simple idea: a real artistic form can be born from an imperfection able to bring both aesthetic perfection and inner growth.

In fact, let's imagine how patiently Japanese artisans repair shattered ceramic objects not just to make them usable again, but to give them great value. The lesson is soon said: a broken object does not necessarily have to be thrown in the garbage, on the contrary, we can repair it and even improve it.

Probably this concept is quite far from typical Western throwaway culture. The Japanese approach to breaking objects such as ceramic vases or plates makes us reflect on our way of dealing with things. It teaches us that a new wholeness can be born from a break.