Exhibition/event has ended.
Gentaro Ishizuka "Gold Rush Alaska"
Kotaro Nukaga Tennoz
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Artists
Gentaro Ishizuka
This exhibition is linked to the art book "Gold Rush Alaska," which was awarded the Grand Prize by Steidl Publishing at the Dummy Book Awards "Steidl Book Award Japan" held in conjunction with the 8th Tokyo Art Book Fair in 2016.
Steidl, a German publishing house, is known for its meticulous attention to detail and has gained the trust of renowned artists worldwide, establishing itself as one of the world's premier art book publishers. For this award, founder Gerhard Steidl personally selected the winning entry from among the 4,000 dummy books submitted.
"Gold Rush Alaska" has been carefully crafted over a long period since winning the Grand Prize and is finally being published. In this series, the photographer Ishizuka attempts to reinterpret the spatiality of photographic expression through a series called "Sculpting History," focusing on the phenomenon of the "Gold Rush" in late 19th-century America, particularly in Alaska. The exhibition will showcase 14 previously unreleased photographs (including three that debuted at a group exhibition at the Pola Museum of Art in 2019) and three photographic sculptures that materialize the images.
Gentaro Ishizuka is known for delving into the wilderness with a large-format camera and capturing the world with precision. However, in the "Gold Rush" series, he foregrounds his exceptional storytelling abilities as a "storyteller."
Steidl, known for its strict standards in art book editing, readily approved Ishizuka's editing, surprising everyone with his hands-off approach.
This series is divided into three main types of images:
1. "Landscape photographs" capturing the attempt of nature to reclaim the buildings and machinery left behind.
2. "Tableau photographs" composed of various elements such as animal bones and postcards from the time, depicting the life of that era within the ruins of abandoned buildings.
3. "Replica images" of photographs documenting the Alaska Gold Rush by photographer E.A. Hegg.
Generally, stories are told through description and narration. "Landscape photographs" and "Tableau photographs" provide different portrayals of the Gold Rush. The former illustrates the vastness of Alaska compared to human life and the temporal distance between the present and the Gold Rush, while the latter depicts the enthusiasm of the time, the disappearance of those involved, and the decay of both the environment and its inhabitants.
"Replica images" ensure that the Gold Rush is not relegated to the distant past but continues to be narrated in the present. Ishizuka cleverly constructs and edits the visual languages of each type, creating something more than mere documentation in the overlapping areas.
By assuming that time moves forward and that history feels like something behind oneself, Ishizuka captures the "remnants" from the "forefront" of his large-format camera lens. Since the "remnants" themselves are in front, they are not yet history. In "Gold Rush Alaska," Ishizuka demonstrates the "historicization" of photography itself by depicting and narrating the "remnants," sculpting the "embryo of history," and presenting it to us. The newly created photographic sculpture works, which are an extension of this exhibition, further contribute to this endeavor.
Steidl, a German publishing house, is known for its meticulous attention to detail and has gained the trust of renowned artists worldwide, establishing itself as one of the world's premier art book publishers. For this award, founder Gerhard Steidl personally selected the winning entry from among the 4,000 dummy books submitted.
"Gold Rush Alaska" has been carefully crafted over a long period since winning the Grand Prize and is finally being published. In this series, the photographer Ishizuka attempts to reinterpret the spatiality of photographic expression through a series called "Sculpting History," focusing on the phenomenon of the "Gold Rush" in late 19th-century America, particularly in Alaska. The exhibition will showcase 14 previously unreleased photographs (including three that debuted at a group exhibition at the Pola Museum of Art in 2019) and three photographic sculptures that materialize the images.
Gentaro Ishizuka is known for delving into the wilderness with a large-format camera and capturing the world with precision. However, in the "Gold Rush" series, he foregrounds his exceptional storytelling abilities as a "storyteller."
Steidl, known for its strict standards in art book editing, readily approved Ishizuka's editing, surprising everyone with his hands-off approach.
This series is divided into three main types of images:
1. "Landscape photographs" capturing the attempt of nature to reclaim the buildings and machinery left behind.
2. "Tableau photographs" composed of various elements such as animal bones and postcards from the time, depicting the life of that era within the ruins of abandoned buildings.
3. "Replica images" of photographs documenting the Alaska Gold Rush by photographer E.A. Hegg.
Generally, stories are told through description and narration. "Landscape photographs" and "Tableau photographs" provide different portrayals of the Gold Rush. The former illustrates the vastness of Alaska compared to human life and the temporal distance between the present and the Gold Rush, while the latter depicts the enthusiasm of the time, the disappearance of those involved, and the decay of both the environment and its inhabitants.
"Replica images" ensure that the Gold Rush is not relegated to the distant past but continues to be narrated in the present. Ishizuka cleverly constructs and edits the visual languages of each type, creating something more than mere documentation in the overlapping areas.
By assuming that time moves forward and that history feels like something behind oneself, Ishizuka captures the "remnants" from the "forefront" of his large-format camera lens. Since the "remnants" themselves are in front, they are not yet history. In "Gold Rush Alaska," Ishizuka demonstrates the "historicization" of photography itself by depicting and narrating the "remnants," sculpting the "embryo of history," and presenting it to us. The newly created photographic sculpture works, which are an extension of this exhibition, further contribute to this endeavor.
Schedule | Mar 23 (Sat) 2024-May 18 (Sat) 2024 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://kotaronukaga.com/exhibition/gold-rush-alaska/ | ||||
| Venue | Kotaro Nukaga Tennoz https://www.kotaronukaga.com/en/ | ||||
| Location | 1F Terrada Art Complex Ⅱ, 1-32-8 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from exit B at Tennozu Isle Station on the Rinkai line, 11 minute walk from the Central exit of Tennozu Isle Station on the Tokyo Monorail line, 9 minute walk from the North exit of Shimbamba Station on the Keikyu Main line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6433-1247 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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