Status of sculpture in the zen gardens

Concepts such as nature, life, birth, death, enlightenment, awareness, metaphor, illumination, questioning, paradox, simplicity, plainness, perfection, imperfection, goodness, evil, serenity, respect, reality and dream form the basic structure in the perception of a work of art. The most beautiful examples of these concepts are Zen gardens or Japanese rock gardens, which are one of the most beautiful aspects of Japanese culture. These gardens are designed simply by using nature, bare sand and rocks to help reveal the meaning of life and stimulate a meditative state. When we look at the function and mission of Zen gardens, as in works of art, the main purpose of the Zen garden, regardless of its idea or size, is based on allowing its viewers to sit back, relax and clear their minds. In this thesis, the focus is on the design and application of artistic elements used in gardens based on the concept, situation and justification in Zen garden design in the relationship between sculpture and environment, sculpture and space. Zen gardens have been evolving for over a thousand years and continue to be as current and interesting as ever. In this change and transformation, many contemporary artists also produce works based on Zen philosophy. Therefore, within the scope of the study, the focus will be on the process of constructing an artwork produced for these spaces based on the concept of Zen and Zen gardens, and the relationship entered into with the artwork through the indicator and the signified, the cycle and the works of the artists based on Zen-based applications will be examined and a work will be created based on the same concept.