One afternoon in 1983, Masahisa Fukase sat tacking the contours of his face with pins. Outside, Japan was busy performing miracles. Its cities had, not all too long ago, been flattened, its industries crippled. Yet here it was outside his window, rising from the ashes – a global economic superpower. A year before, Fukase had finally exhaustedContinue reading “The Incurable Egoist, Masahisa Fukase”
Tag Archives: Art
Deconstructing Borders
An art show entitled Deconstructing Borders can today no longer slink by unnoticed. Its very syntax is potent; thick and heavy with political, economic and moral significance. Regardless of whichever side one inhabits in this divisive, contemporary debate, the concept of the border is a loaded one. Two months into 2017 and it’s the buzzwordContinue reading “Deconstructing Borders”
Deutsche Börse Prize: A Political/Art Minefield
The Deutsche Börse photography prize has, in recent years, been the recipient of much criticism (and some controversy.) Rewarding artists that “push the medium’s boundaries,” the prize’s contentious remit has provoked many onlookers to question whether it even constitutes as a “photography” prize in the first place. Back in 2010, critic Sean O’Hagan set the tone by asking where “straightContinue reading “Deutsche Börse Prize: A Political/Art Minefield”
Interview with Sonal Kantaria: Traces
Originally appeared on the Open Eye Gallery blog, 12/10/2015 In a striking series of diptychs, Sonal Kantaria traces a poetic path out into the horizon, bridging the plains of Australia with distant, Indian shores. A highly personal project, Traces turns to the landscape itself to find it laced delicately with dreams and hopes. Yet withoutContinue reading “Interview with Sonal Kantaria: Traces”
“Removed”… but where to?
Originally appeared on FACT A few months ago, a journalist fired an irony-laden observation out into the Twittersphere, casually noted one morning whilst sipping his coffee: “There’s a guy in this coffee shop sitting at a table, not on his phone, not on a laptop, just drinking coffee, like a psychopath.” This freshly-caffeinated dose of wit carriesContinue reading ““Removed”… but where to?”
Interview with Richard Ross: Juvenile in Justice
Originally appeared on the Open Eye Gallery’s blog, 04/09/2015 There’s a quote by Booker T. Washington that trails Richard Ross’s work closely. It’s the epigraph to his Juvenile in Justicebook and states fiercely, “The study of art that does not result in making the strong less willing to oppress the weak means little.” Winner ofContinue reading “Interview with Richard Ross: Juvenile in Justice”
Through the Looking Glass
Originally written for Open Eye Gallery, 20/04/2015 With its delightfully obscure title, Yuki Onodera’s first body of work certainly doesn’t offer much insight into what each photograph actually is. In 1991, the young photographer entered her series You Are Running. I’m Waiting with Ears Like Dumbo’s to the very first New Cosmos Photography Award in Japan. PraisedContinue reading “Through the Looking Glass”
The Art of Listening
When we step in front of a painting or when we stand at the base of a sculpture, our eyes take control of the show. Scanning the forms before us, they wander across lines, encounter combinations of colour and glance at the nearby wall text. The gallery is indebted to the act of seeing, visual perceptionContinue reading “The Art of Listening”
A Brief Snapshot of Japan’s “onna no ko shashinka”
Originally appeared on Open Eye Gallery blog, 07.04.2015 When Canon launched its New Cosmos of Photography award to the Japanese public in 1991, it asked, “What can we do through photography?” It’s a question we’re still considering today and perhaps are no closer to any real answer. Yet one thing we agree on is, moreContinue reading “A Brief Snapshot of Japan’s “onna no ko shashinka””
Rinko Kawauchi: Life’s Murmured Whispers
Originally appeared on Open Eye Gallery blog, 16/02/2015 “People often say that I have a child’s eye. For example, I stare at ants gathering around sugar, or when I seek shelter from the rain, I gaze upon snails. These are things which you often do when you are a child aren’t they? I have a veryContinue reading “Rinko Kawauchi: Life’s Murmured Whispers”
