 "The Seagram Buildung, New York, N.Y." Hiroshi Sugimoto The Architecture of Time For its 2002 Edinburgh International Festival exhibition, The Fruitmarket Gallery is collaborating with Stills Gallery to present The Architecture of Time, a major exhibition of work by Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. Organised by the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, the exhibition contains three photographic series: Architecture, Seascapes and Pinetrees. Hiroshi Sugimoto is widely considered to be one of the world's leading photographers. Born in Tokyo in 1948, he left Japan in 1970 to study photography at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He moved to New York in 1974, and still lives there today. Since 1976, Sugimoto has produced six ongoing photographic series: Dioramas (since 1976), Theatres (since 1978), Seascapes (since 1980), Wax Museums (since 1994), Sanjusangendo, Hall of Thirty-Three Bays (1995) and Architecture (since 1997). Despite the varying subjects of these series, Sugimoto's work remains clearly consistent both conceptually and stylistically. The vocabulary of his imagery is reduced and focuses on the essential, the subject isolated and freed from unnecessary detail. He always uses the same camera – a wooden American box camera from the 19th century – and keeps the camera settings constant. The photographs, shot exclusively in black and white, are distinguished by their enormous tonal range and their quiet, contemplative atmosphere. Characteristically, Sugimoto's Architecture series demonstrates clear artistic definition placed in a timeless setting. Since 1997 he has been photographing famous modern buildings in which detail has been deliberately blurred to capture the autheniticyof the architects original inspiration. Similarly, the Seascapes, showing at Stills Gallery, features views of the ocean taken at different locations around the world. In each photograph, Sugimoto has used the horizon to divide the picture plane into two equal sections – sky and ocean – with all other surroundings faded out. The most recent series, Pinetrees, was photographed in Japan last year. The work comprises two monumental panels, and refers to the tradition of Japanese ink painting, particularly to the 16th century painter Hasegawa Tohaku. Ausstellungsdauer: 3.8. - 21.9.2002 Oeffnungszeiten: Mo-So 10 - 19 Uhr The Fruitmarket Gallery 45 Market Street Edinburgh, EH1 1DF Telefon: +44 131 225 2383 Fax +44 131 220 3130 www.fruitmarket.co.uk |
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