Kimmo Pasanen

Kimmo Pasanen (b. 1943) is an artist and a philosopher living in Paris. In his illustrated book, Tyhjyys itämaisessa ajattelussa ja taiteessa (“Emptiness in Eastern Thought and Art”), he describes the ancient Indian, Chinese and Japanese traditions of thought and their conception of emptiness as a fundamental cosmic principle. In addition to providing a broad historical background to facilitate the understanding of these ideas, Pasanen concentrates on artistic traditions, in which emptiness is often given clear and graphic expressions. Pasanen has also included a chapter on Western ideas about emptiness, which helps us understand how the Eastern conceptions differ from ours. The book is recommended to everyone interested in foreign cultures, arts and philosophy.

Publication date March 2008