Events

Time and Location

April 17 – May 15
April 17 – Opening Reception, 6pm
Romanian Cultural Institute (New York, NY)

About

Envisioned as an intercultural dialogue between Romania, Japan, and New York, and presented by the Romanian Cultural Institute New York, the exhibition brings together eleven distinct artistic visions that reflect upon and celebrate the seasonal transformation of nature, embodied in the symbolic blossoming of the cherry tree.

Here, sakura—translated from Japanese as “cherry blossom” or “cherry tree”—transcends its botanical meaning to become a powerful social and cultural phenomenon. Native to the Japanese archipelago, cherry trees have long been cultivated and revered, and since the Heian period (794-1185AD), the cherry blossom—together with the chrysanthemum—has come to represent Japan’s cultural and spiritual identity.

Each spring, communities gather beneath the flowering trees in a collective gesture of admiration and reflection. In New York in particular, sites such as Roosevelt Island, Central Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Cherry Esplanade, and Sakura Park become seasonal places of pilgrimage—spaces where visitors gather to admire the blossoms, photograph their fleeting beauty, share moments across social media, or simply pause in quiet contemplation.

Beyond Japan, cherry blossoms spread across the world through cultural exchange and diplomacy. In the early twentieth century, Japan’s gesture of gifting cherry trees to cities abroad—now widely known as sakura diplomacy—transformed the blossoms into enduring symbols of international friendship and goodwill. Today, they bloom across continents, embraced by diverse cultures while retaining their deep historical roots.

Presented from April 17 to May 15, Sakura: A Seasons of Becoming extends the brief season of bloom into a lasting visual meditation. Through painting, photography, video, installation, sound, and textile-based works, the participating artists explore themes of impermanence, memory, and renewal, situating contemporary Romanian creativity within a global artistic dialogue.

Through this exhibition, we are reminded that Romanian values are deeply connected to the global dialogue between nature and culture, while its Latin legacy continues to shape a romantic and poetic space where art, memory, and the natural world converge.

Artists:
Daniel Fishkin (USA) | Eva Petrič (Slovenia) | Georgette Sinclair (Romania) | Junko Yoda (Japan) | Kiichiro Adachi (Japan) | Maia Stefana Oprea (Romania) | Mariko Fujimoto (Japan) | Nicole Cohen (USA) | Paul O’Malley (Ireland) | Sophia Chizuko (Japan) | Sorin Scurtulescu (Romania)
Curated by Kyoko Sato | Luisa Tuntuc
With a special sound art performance by Daniel Fishkin at the Opening Reception at 7 PM

For more information: Sakura: A Season of Becoming | RCIUSA

This exhibit is supported through the JFNY Grant for Arts and Culture.