Yoshihiko Ito "Frottage –Ode to the Darkroom–"
PGI
Until Apr 30
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Yoshihiko Ito
PGI is pleased to present Yoshihiko Ito’s exhibition Frottage – Ode to the Darkroom.
Yoshihiko Ito graduated from the Tokyo College of Photography and began working as a photographer in the late 1970s. Shooting with a half-size camera, he developed the Contact Sheet series, in which the contact prints themselves, with the photographs presented in the order in which they were taken, form individual compositions. In the late 1990s, he began his Patrone series, inspired by ancient Japanese picture scrolls that depict successive events within a single composition. In his work, Ito explores themes and concepts that are inherently difficult to express through photography alone, such as the flow of time and consciousness.
When the photographic paper he used to create his Patrone series went out of production and it became difficult to continue the series, Ito began searching for new ways to express himself. Deeply passionate about film photography and working in the darkroom, Ito found himself picking up rolls of unused film and finding inspiration in “all the images they stirred up” within him. Having often worked with storyboards and sketches in planning his photographic works, Ito was naturally drawn to the method of frottage and began to use photographic film as the theme and subject of his work.
Frottage is a technique that draws on the randomness of textures, shapes, and patterns created when paper or cloth is applied to uneven surfaces and rubbed. While most of his motifs are related to photographic film, Ito’s work is defined by image compositions that capture the imaginary worlds that unfold from the film, rather than just its texture.
Since 2015, Ito has been working on his frottages on an almost daily basis, creating nearly 400 individual works to date. His previous series, Frottage – In the Film, was based on 8×10 film and used 35mm film as its subject. It explored the flow of time and consciousness, ideas that have been central to his photographic work from the beginning.
In this exhibition, titled Ode to the Darkroom, PGI presents a selection of Ito’s frottage works created between 2020 and 2024. Each work is a meticulous, hand-crafted homage that expresses Ito’s deep reverence for the darkroom.
Yoshihiko Ito graduated from the Tokyo College of Photography and began working as a photographer in the late 1970s. Shooting with a half-size camera, he developed the Contact Sheet series, in which the contact prints themselves, with the photographs presented in the order in which they were taken, form individual compositions. In the late 1990s, he began his Patrone series, inspired by ancient Japanese picture scrolls that depict successive events within a single composition. In his work, Ito explores themes and concepts that are inherently difficult to express through photography alone, such as the flow of time and consciousness.
When the photographic paper he used to create his Patrone series went out of production and it became difficult to continue the series, Ito began searching for new ways to express himself. Deeply passionate about film photography and working in the darkroom, Ito found himself picking up rolls of unused film and finding inspiration in “all the images they stirred up” within him. Having often worked with storyboards and sketches in planning his photographic works, Ito was naturally drawn to the method of frottage and began to use photographic film as the theme and subject of his work.
Frottage is a technique that draws on the randomness of textures, shapes, and patterns created when paper or cloth is applied to uneven surfaces and rubbed. While most of his motifs are related to photographic film, Ito’s work is defined by image compositions that capture the imaginary worlds that unfold from the film, rather than just its texture.
Since 2015, Ito has been working on his frottages on an almost daily basis, creating nearly 400 individual works to date. His previous series, Frottage – In the Film, was based on 8×10 film and used 35mm film as its subject. It explored the flow of time and consciousness, ideas that have been central to his photographic work from the beginning.
In this exhibition, titled Ode to the Darkroom, PGI presents a selection of Ito’s frottage works created between 2020 and 2024. Each work is a meticulous, hand-crafted homage that expresses Ito’s deep reverence for the darkroom.
Schedule Now in session | Mar 19 (Wed) 2025-Apr 30 (Wed) 2025 13 days left Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.pgi.ac/exhibitions/10627 | ||||
| Venue | PGI http://www.pgi.ac/index.php?lang=en | ||||
| Location | 3F TKB Bldg., 2-3-4 Higashi-azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044 | ||||
| Access | 4 minute walk from the Nakanohashi exit of Akabanebashi Station on the Toei Oedo line, 8 minute walk from exit 6 at Azabu-juban Station on the Namboku or Toei Oedo line, 8 minute walk from exit 1 at Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5114-7935 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it          |
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