RURI - AVAILABLE

200mm x 200mm each.

Series of 12.

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Created during her artist residency in Kyoto, Japan, Ruri marks a pivotal moment in Kim Rose’s practice, where place, history, and healing converge. The work centers on indigo blue, a pigment revered in Japan not only for its depth and beauty, but for its medicinal history. Indigo, long used in traditional dyeing known as aizome, was believed to carry antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties. Samurai wore indigo dyed garments beneath their armor, trusting the pigment to help protect wounds and aid recovery. This legacy of care and protection forms the foundation of the painting, grounding it in a lineage where color itself was considered a source of healing.

The title Ruri refers to lapis lazuli, a sacred blue in Japanese Buddhist tradition associated with clarity, compassion, and restoration. During Rose’s time in Kyoto, she was drawn to this convergence of color, history, and spirit. Indigo became the first pigment in her practice with an acknowledged physical healing past, marking a profound shift in her relationship to material. The blue in Ruri is not decorative, but intentional and alive, carrying centuries of belief, ritual, and human touch.

As with much of Rose’s work, Ruri transforms history into an emotional landscape. The painting holds space for repair, both ancient and personal, inviting viewers into a quiet contemplation of resilience. Through indigo’s luminous depth, Rose honors a pigment that once healed warriors and now offers a different kind of restoration, one rooted in stillness, memory, and the enduring capacity of art to mend what cannot be seen.