Shibumi: Photographs by Peter Dusek

In today’s world, the eyes and the soul are assaulted by myriad things, causing us to lose our focus, become scattered, and even blinded to the simple beauty hidden around us. Peter Dušek is an award-winning Canadian photographer whose toned black and white photographs give us a glimpse of this beauty, hidden like a special shell amongst the pebbles on a beach. Inspired by the philosophies of Japanese Zen and Chinese Tao, Peter places a strong emphasis on balance and negative space and his artistic design goal is “as little as possible, as much as necessary”, giving an almost abstract quality to his intimate landscapes. His style embodies the Japanese design aesthetic shibumi, which means “a quiet elegance”. In this simplicity can be found the serenity and perhaps even the happiness that often eludes us.

Peter had his first solo show in Toronto, Tranquility, in 2015. The exhibition sold out almost two and a half times over, with Saks Fifth Avenue acquiring two complete sets to represent Canadian Art at their two stores in Toronto. He was awarded “Best of 2015” by the American Society of Media Photographers, “Best Work by an Emerging Artist” by the Ontario Society of Artists, and his work has been shown at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City, alongside art from 70 international galleries. Peter had his second major exhibition, Serenity, in 2017 as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival in Toronto, the largest photography event in the world. He has exhibited in numerous galleries across Canada and the USA and his work is held in private and corporate collections throughout North America.