 In Praise of Shadows (detail), 1999 Mixed media installation Dimensions variable Courtesy of the artist © 2003 Hiroshi Sugimoto Image courtesy Gallery Koyanagi, Tokyo Hiroshi Sugimoto Over his thirty-year career, Japanese-born Hiroshi Sugimoto has made black-and-white photographs that consistently merge a rigorous conceptual approach with meticulous craftsmanship. He has received significant critical acclaim for his work in series, which viewed in succession reveal subtle differences as well as point to the photographic processes by which they were made. Inspired by classical photography, Sugimoto uses a traditional wooden box camera to render the real world both abstract and infinite. For his first solo exhibition in a public gallery in London, Sugimoto has responded to the space, light and architecture particular to the Serpentine, creating a meditative environment in which to view a selection of photographs from three important bodies of work created since 1990. "The Seascapes", including the recent monumental "North Pacific Ocean, Ohkurosaki" (2002), depict the meeting of the sea and sky, referred to by the artist as the timeless elements "water" and "air". Photographed in remote locations around the world, each seascape varies subtly according to different times of day and weather conditions. Taken in the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo, the "Pine Landscapes" (2001) are beguiling large-scale photographs of a revered symbol in Japanese culture. Also in the exhibition, the installation in "Praise of Shadows" (1999) consists of a lit candle and a photograph that captured in a single image a candle burning over an evening. By using long exposures of up to five hours, Sugimoto records on film every flicker of the flame. Sponsored by Bloomberg. 18 November 2003 - 18 January 2004 Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm Serpentine Gallery Kensington Gardens UK-London W2 3XA Telefon +44 (0) 20 7298 1515 (recorded information) E-Mail info@serpentinegallery.org www.serpentinegallery.org |
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