The opening reception for Beautifully Broken – Kintsugi by Naoko Fukumaru was held on October 11, 2025 during the Thanksgiving weekend. Over 100 people attended to view the new exhibit and listen to the artist talk. The exhibit continues to February 21, 2026. If you weren’t able to make it to the opening, there’s plenty of time to explore the exquisite detail and deep meaning of Fukumaru’s work.
Naoko Fukumaru inspired the audience with her talk, sharing with humour how she became a kintsugi artist because of a mistake, and discussing her life experiences and artistic philosophy.
Director Curator Sherri Kajiwara and guests in front of “Behind the Window,” a special installation for this show featuring a shattered window from the Vancouver Japanese Language School.
Read more about this piece in an article by Barb Sligl in Montecristo Magazine.
“And as you visit the exhibition, keeping in mind these connections we have built over time and place, that no matter how far apart, how separate, distant, broken, or shattered that we may be, we come together at times like this, to be stronger together, more than the sum of our individual pieces, and be beautifully broken, beautifully whole all together today.”
– Karah Foster
“I’m not an expert on kintsugi, but I find its creative approach of treating cracks and chips in ceramics not as damaged rather as decoration, fresh and fascinating. I also believe it’s a wonderful artform that embodies Japan’s spirit of mottainai.”
– Deputy Consul General, Satomi Okagaki
“I’m thinking about the old pieces that I hear the artist found, and made beautiful with the gold and the other colours, and making them new again, changing the feeling, so they are not so broken.”
– Cecilia Point
Thank you to:
- Jina Hirai of Bom Flowers for the kintsugi themed flower arrangements.
- NNMCC Auxiliary volunteers for food and drink service.
Photos by Moay Grace Sakata
