Name: Tea, Art and Nothingness: A Talk and Japanese Tea Ceremony
Start: 2025-11-21T19:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-11-21T21:00:00+00:00
Location: Yunus Emre Enstitüsü - London

A special evening invites audiences to experience the aesthetic and contemplative depth of the Japanese tea ceremony.
About this Event

Organised by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London, Tea, Art, and Nothingness: A Talk and Japanese Tea Ceremony with Dr. Qayyim Naoki Yamamoto will take place on Friday, 21 November 2025, at 7:00 PM, as part of the HİÇ: In Pursuit of Nothingness exhibition programme.

Bridging the spiritual worlds of Türkiye and Japan, this special evening invites audiences to experience the aesthetic and contemplative depth of the Japanese tea ceremony through the perspective of Dr. Qayyim Naoki Yamamoto, Assistant Professor at Marmara University and founder of Japanese Islamicate Art. In his practice, Dr. Yamamoto explores the shared sensibilities of Sufism and Zen—discipline, harmony, and self-effacement-as—as parallel paths toward inner stillness and awakening. The event will be moderated by artist Nagihan Seymour, artist and curator of the HİÇ exhibition, who will guide the conversation on how artistic and spiritual disciplines intersect in both cultures.

The programme begins with a talk on the philosophy of hiç and mu—two words from distinct linguistic traditions yet resonant in meaning, both pointing toward the quiet disappearance of the self. Following the discussion, participants will observe a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, guided by Dr. Yamamoto, where each gesture embodies humility and presence. The evening will also include a viewing of his calligraphic work Mu (無): Hiç, presented within the exhibition, offering a visual reflection of the same idea: emptiness as the most profound form of fullness.

Through this intimate encounter of art, thought, and ritual, Tea, Art, and Nothingness opens a dialogue between two cultural lineages that meet in silence—revealing how beauty, in both Turkish and Japanese traditions, arises from simplicity, restraint, and the discipline of becoming nothing.

📩 Questions? Email: [email protected]

By aligning with the HİÇ: In Pursuit of Nothingness exhibition, this event extends the dialogue between sound, form, and contemplation into the realm of ritual practice. Through Dr Yamamoto’s perspective, the evening bridges the meditative discipline of the Japanese tea ceremony with the Sufi understanding of hiçlik—revealing how, in both traditions, the path to beauty begins with humility and surrender. Together, they illuminate a shared spiritual language between Turkish and Japanese aesthetics, where silence speaks, emptiness creates, and the act of serving tea becomes an act of remembrance.