Remembering my first Kenshō (見性) /Hrpeljci hamlet near Koper, Slovenia, 1988/ 2019

Alfred Freddy Krupa made this ink drawing, Remembering my first Kenshō, in 1988. The work is immediately striking for its simplicity of means: just paper, ink, and brush. Yet, the image’s power arises from the contrast between those humble materials, and the profound subject matter that Krupa evokes, Kenshō, a glimpse of enlightenment. Ink is one of humanity’s oldest technologies, a mix of soot and binder. Applied here with rapid gestures on absorbent paper, it bleeds and feathers, creating a soft, blurred effect. It’s a far cry from the slick surfaces we associate with modern art. The artist’s goal wasn’t technical virtuosity. Instead, the raw materiality of the ink helps to convey the sense of a fleeting, deeply personal experience. It is immediate, as if he captured the essence of the place, the hamlet of Hrpeljci, in a single breath. Ultimately, this artwork invites us to look beyond the surface, and consider the deep connection between materials, making, and the search for meaning.