BMA to Open The Way of Nature: Art from Japan, China, and Korea

Featuring more than 40 works that reflect the importance of nature as a source of inspiration in East Asian cultures across centuries

BALTIMORE, MD (May 1, 2025)— This September, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will open The Way of Nature: Art from Japan, China, and Korea, which draws on the museum’s extensive holdings to consider the importance of nature in East Asian cultures. The exhibition features more than 40 objects, from magnificent ink drawings to beautifully crafted stoneware and poignant contemporary photographs and prints. Collectively, the works reflect on nature as a vital source of creative inspiration and spiritual connection and consider human existence within the complexity of the vast natural world across centuries and into the present day. The Way of Nature: Art from Japan, China, and Korea will be on view September 21, 2025, through March 8, 2026, and is part of the BMA’s Turn Again to the Earthinitiative, which explores the relationships between art and the environment.

“The Way of Nature offers an insightful look at the intertwining roots of artistic expression and the experience of the natural world through vibrant works from the BMA’s Asian art collection. It’s an exciting opportunity to see objects on view for the first time, or in a long time, through a lens that is both accessible and meaningful, as many of us seek connection through and to nature,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “As the BMA focuses on expanding its collection with the work of artists from around the globe, we are excited to continue to share more of our holdings, and the stories they contain, with our community.”

The Way of Natureis organized around four overarching themes that engage with elemental aspects of the natural world and human intervention within it. The exhibition opens with a section that examines depictions, interpretations, and connections to the qualities of air, water, and stone. Among the highlights is a handmade Fireman’s Coat (hikeshi banten) with Hawk and Waves(Japan, early- to mid-20th century) by an unidentified artist. The intricately sewn object depicts a hawk soaring above turbulent waves, suggesting that the firefighter who chose the design sought the protective powers of water, strength, and keen vision. During a fire, the beautiful imagery would have been worn on the interior, only to be revealed once the fire was extinguished. The section also includes works such as the evocative ink drawing Water and Mountain Landscape (China, 1955) by the artist Huang Junbi and the densely decorated wood and jade sculpture Miniature Mountain with Longevity Motifs(China, late 18th – early 19th century) by an unidentified artist.

The second section explores the significance of the changing seasons as visual indicators of nature’s transformative power, whether in the experience of wild terrain or in meticulously tended gardens. Across East Asia, emblems of the seasons, such as plums for the spring and chrysanthemums for the fall, are both often shared within communities and widely referenced in art. A case in this section includes a range of objects featuring plum blossoms, such as the hanging scroll Plum Branch and Full Moon (Japan, 1905-1915) by Kamisaka Sekka and the stoneware Bowl Decorated with Plum Branch and Crescent Moon(China, 13th century) by an unidentified artist. The section also includes a stunning Buddhist Priest’s Robe (Kesa) in Karaori with Floral Designs(Japan, 1750-1868) by an unidentified artist.

The Way of Nature continues with works that capture human intrusion into the natural realm, as artists reveal humanity’s environmental impact through both imagery of calamitous events and in more subtle and ambiguous scenes. In his series Between Mountains and Water(2014–2017), Chinese artist Zhang Kechun examined the effects of human activities on the landscape in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, while Japanese artist Leiko Shiga documented the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the poignant photo series Rasen Kaigan.The exhibition concludes with consideration of the spiritual transcendence that can be found in nature. This final section is anchored by the eight-panel screen Ten Symbols of Long Life (Korea, mid- to late 19th century) by an unidentified artist. The complex screen incorporates eight separate paintings to convey a wish for longevity, as embodied through such symbols as cranes, bamboo, water, and sun.

The Way of Nature: Art from Japan, China, and Koreais curated by Frances Klapthor, BMA Associate Curator of Asian Art.

Turn Again to the Earth

Turn Again to the Earth is a series of major initiatives at the BMA that model commitments to environmental sustainability and foster discourse on climate change and the role of the museum. Unfolding throughout 2025, the interrelated efforts include a series of exhibitions and public programs that capture the relationships between art and the environment across time and geography; an evaluation of internal BMA practices for environmental impacts and the creation of a sustainability plan for the Museum; and a citywide eco-challenge that invites Baltimore and regional partners to engage in environment-related conversations and enact their own plans for a more sustainable future. Following months of climate-driven protests at museums across the U.S. and abroad, the BMA’s environmental initiatives offer opportunities for more productive dialogues and actions within the museum context. As the BMA celebrates its 110th anniversary, it is fitting that it considers its future in part through the lens of this critical subject. The title for the series of initiatives is inspired by the writing of environmental activist Rachel Carson, who spent most of her life and career in Maryland.