Ava Graves, Wabi Sabi, 2024, Monoprint and embossment on BFK Rives paper, series of 10, each 8 × 8 inches.

Wabi Sabi is a collection of archival prints created using a traditional printing press, exploring the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of finding beauty in imperfection, transience, and the imperfect.

The series juxtaposes delicate flowers and vibrant natural forms with the harsher textures of the urban landscape—rusted locks, fences, concrete, and industrial “hellscapes.” Moving from luminous and beautiful imagery toward increasingly stark surroundings, the collection considers how beauty can emerge from places and objects that are often overlooked or considered ugly. Wabi Sabi invites the viewer to find poetry in decay, contrast, and imperfection.