JOIN USJapan has one of the most active and creative photography scenes in the world, with many Japanese lensmen having pioneered the global development of contemporary photography and its acceptance as a distinct art form.
Tasveer – a pan-India photo gallery, is exhibiting the works of five of the finest living Japanese photographers on the theme ‘Hikari’ (Japanese word for light). Each of the photographers investigates how light can be used both a tool of illumination and as a cloak – either revealing something we might not see normally, or conversely, covering something up. This is the seventh season of country-specific photography exhibitions of Tasveer, being held at the Art Motif Gallery in Lado Sarai.
Founder-director of Tasveer, Shalini Gupta, informs, “We have been picking up a country and its photography for our exhibits every year. Last year it was China, and this year it’s Japan. We felt that if the photographs relate to a certain theme, it becomes easier for the viewer to understand and enjoy it.
Light forms an integral aspect of photography. The use of light through different techniques, to get awe-inspiring effects in photographs, has been refined over the years by Japanese photographers. It is an honour for us to present their works.”
Mysteriously beautiful photographs from Japanese conceptual photographer Ken Kitano’s ‘Our Face’ series are included in the exhibition. Ken combines many photographs into one, giving them different amounts of exposure to light. What emerges is portraits of single people who seem to be fading into the background like ghosts.
A Japanese/French artist, Kimiko Yoshida’s evokative imagery is based on elaborate self portraits. For over a decade, Kimiko has photographed herself in different costumes with reference to a wide range of subjects, from haute couture to canons of Western painting. She explores the concept of gender and female body through her works.
Tokihiro Sato, originally a trained sculptor, has created magic in her photographs with dots of lights placed on natural landscapes like sea, trees, lakes, cottages etc. His photographs give the impression of being in a fairyland. Yuji Obata, on the other hand, has taken black and white pictures of snowflakes – each different in its design and incomparably beautiful. His photographs of racing horses and girls ice-skating give a sense of space and ambition.
Finally, Shiho Kito’s photographs seem to be the most easy to understand with lights present literally, and not metaphorically. There are city lights reflected on river water, Christmas star- shaped lights hanging from a string and lights diffused by a piece of orange cloth.
For lovers of photography, this exhibition is a lesson in the art.