GA-I-SU-RA

A tribute to the person and work of Petr Geisler, honoring calligraphy as a form of inner expression and a reminder that writing is a reflection of (not only) a pure soul.

Czech Japanologist, translator, journalist, calligrapher, photographer, and educator Petr Geisler (1949–2009) made a unique and distinctive contribution to the development of relations between the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia) and Japan, not only through the bold strokes and impacts of his brush. The exhibition dedicated to Geisler's lifelong work will present him in the most comprehensive form to date – from his expressive calligraphies, which he wrote spontaneously during his free moments between work, to photographic multiple exposures from Japan in the 1980s, and the monumental inscription of the Buddhist Heart Sutra that once adorned the wall of the passage in the Metro Palace on Národní Street in Prague. The exhibition space is an intersection into Geisler's world. His strong calligraphic strokes were captured not only traditionally with ink on paper but also with liquid enamels or even bleach on cardboard, foils, or rolls of fax thermal paper, referring back to the office of the journalist-correspondent that he himself inhabited until the beginning of the millennium. For Geisler, calligraphy was not merely an artistic expression but a part of everyday life, a ritual, a form of relaxation, a means of thinking, poetry, and a pleasure for himself and his friends. He always had his brushes and ink stone on his desk. As a self-taught artist, he developed a distinctive style that completely defied conventions and became a legend in many respects. His style often resembles the calligraphy of Zen masters and is worlds apart from amateurish expressions and attempts at "pleasing writing." For more than three decades, Geisler served as a foreign correspondent for the prestigious Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. The exhibition also emphasizes this aspect – the originals of Geisler's newspaper articles, which he wrote in fluent Japanese (often published without linguistic adjustments by the Japanese editorial staff), the working environment, and testimonies from his colleagues, friends, and students bring closer his life between two worlds: Japanese script and Czech reality, text and image, the precision of journalism and the freedom of artistic gesture. The exhibition will also offer authentic items from Geisler's private archive – calligraphic writing tools, personal seals bearing the phonetic transcription of his surname into the characters 我意須羅 (GA-I-SU-RA), artifacts from Geisler's legendary office, which many Japanologists visited for lessons in the 1990s, as well as slides from Japan, film recordings of happenings by Japanologists from their student years, and a unique installation and historical reconstruction of the Heart Sutra happening, in which visitors will find themselves inside the very text of one of the most famous Buddhist sutras. GA-I-SU-RA is not only an exhibition paying tribute to the person and work of Petr Geisler but also a homage to calligraphy as a form of inner expression. It serves as a reminder that writing and beautiful script have always been a natural reflection of (not only) a pure soul. Curators: Ester Geislerová, Petr Holý Exhibition Concept: Ester Geislerová, Aňa Geislerová