Hiroshi Sugimoto’s ‘Revolution’ Photographs Ask Questions Of Time And Space
Hiroshi Sugimoto is one of the most significant contemporary photographic artists working in the World today. In his latest exhibition ‘Revolution’ he’s made a series of large format images – a continuation of his 30 year investigation into the sea – that ask the fundamental questions of time and space, past and present, art and science, imagination and reality.
I was concerned, with revealing an ancient stage of human memory through the medium of photography. Whether it is individual memory or the cultural memory of mankind itself, my work is about returning to the past and remembering where we came from and how we came about.
The 15 photographs are of the sea at night and trace the movement of the moon over a series of very long exposures. A 90° clockwise rotation of the work turns the horizons into vertical lines which at once dispels any romantic notion of the sea without changing the pictures’ material substance or subject. As well as jarring our pre-concieved ideas of the sea Sugimoto allows us to see the images as abstracts which in turn free us, the viewer, to see new connotations, new ideas. It’s a simple, beautiful idea that has endless possibilities.
The statement at the gallery where he’s showing his work have siad this about his work:
His pictures, which leave a lasting impression through their beauty and their auratic effect, interweave Japanese traditions with Western ideas. This East-West dialogue remains characteristic of his work today, which is captivating in its exceptional craftsmanship and strong aesthetic presence, and can exercise an almost magical effect on viewers.
You can see Hiroshi Sugimoto’s ‘Revolution’ at The Museum Brandhorst, Kunstareal, Theresienstrasse 35a, Münich, Germany from 25th October, 2012 – 10th February, 2013
Via Design Boom
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