Knight Gallery

In Whispers of the Earth: Impermanence Through a Wabi-Sabi Lens, Dana Mano-Flank invites viewers to pause and reflect on the quiet, transient beauty of nature through the prism of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Rooted in an appreciation for impermanence and imperfection, Dana’s mixed-media paintings celebrate the delicate balance between nature’s cycles and humanity’s place within them.

Drawing on the rich textures and organic forms found in natural materials—whether sourced from forests, quarries, or oceans—Dana integrates these elements with pigments and pastes to highlight the inherent beauty of the weathered, the worn, and the ephemeral. Through her thoughtful exploration of materials and color, she evokes a sense of reverence for the simple yet profound details that are often overlooked: the crumbling bark of a tree, the fading edge of a stone, the soft fall of autumn leaves. At the heart of Dana’s work lies a deep reflection on our fragile relationship with the earth. Each piece is an invitation to see beyond the surface, to contemplate the subtle rhythms of the natural world and the marks of time and use that bind us to it. By honoring the often-overlooked imperfections, she encourages a broader awareness of the environmental connections that shape our lives and challenges us to consider the ethical implications of our impact on the planet. This exhibition embodies a dynamic and intuitive process where abstraction meets the spiritual sensibility of wabi-sabi. Dana’s paintings are more than visual compositions; they are a dialogue between color, texture, and material, a manifestation of the delicate interplay between human existence and the natural world. Whispers of the Earth seeks to deepen our understanding of the beauty found in transience and to foster a renewed appreciation for the ephemeral world around us. Dana’s work has been featured in over fifty juried museum exhibitions across the U.S., as well as numerous solo and invitational shows.