Exhibition/event has ended.
Yoshitomo Nara "From Hokkaido, From Taiwan"
Taka Ishii Gallery Photography / Film
Finished
SHARE
Artists
Yoshitomo Nara
This exhibition, Yoshitomo Nara's second solo show at Taka Ishii Gallery, will feature approximately 55 photographic works captured by the artist in small villages in Hokkaido and Taiwan from 2022 to 2023.
For Nara, "travel" has been an essential element before being an artist, and it continues to be significant. Particularly after the Great East Japan Earthquake, he started embarking on journeys to explore his roots. In 2014, he traveled to Sakhalin, where his late grandfather worked as a migrant laborer, encountering ethnic minorities influenced by the times and capturing their landscapes and people in the photographic series "Sakhalin." In recent years, he has frequently visited remote villages in Hokkaido and Taiwan, extending beyond his own roots. In Hokkaido's Shiraoi Town and Toyako Town, he has personally visited several times, building trust within visible small communities and spending ordinary days with them. Simultaneously, his journey to Sakhalin connects to the historical island of Taiwan, once governed by the Netherlands, Qing China, and Japan. He explores mountainous areas and small towns, seeking people and landscapes there. While the destinations differ, Nara searches for what constitutes himself during his travels. He says, "Traveling away from the center to the regions and outskirts may be to continue being myself."
The exhibited work in this exhibition is photography taken during Nara's recent travels to Hokkaido and Taiwan. The "Hokkaido" series will showcase works depicting daily life in small communities captured between 2020 and 2023. In the "Taiwan" series, particularly focusing on landscapes, the exhibition will feature many photographs taken during his spring 2023 journey to Kaohsiung City and its vicinity. The seemingly ordinary photos capture the flow of time and the lives of people in those places. Describing the act of taking photographs as being "similar to drawing," these works present Nara's perspective on the world through his eyes or lens, offering a direct encounter with the artist's sensibility.
For Nara, "travel" has been an essential element before being an artist, and it continues to be significant. Particularly after the Great East Japan Earthquake, he started embarking on journeys to explore his roots. In 2014, he traveled to Sakhalin, where his late grandfather worked as a migrant laborer, encountering ethnic minorities influenced by the times and capturing their landscapes and people in the photographic series "Sakhalin." In recent years, he has frequently visited remote villages in Hokkaido and Taiwan, extending beyond his own roots. In Hokkaido's Shiraoi Town and Toyako Town, he has personally visited several times, building trust within visible small communities and spending ordinary days with them. Simultaneously, his journey to Sakhalin connects to the historical island of Taiwan, once governed by the Netherlands, Qing China, and Japan. He explores mountainous areas and small towns, seeking people and landscapes there. While the destinations differ, Nara searches for what constitutes himself during his travels. He says, "Traveling away from the center to the regions and outskirts may be to continue being myself."
The exhibited work in this exhibition is photography taken during Nara's recent travels to Hokkaido and Taiwan. The "Hokkaido" series will showcase works depicting daily life in small communities captured between 2020 and 2023. In the "Taiwan" series, particularly focusing on landscapes, the exhibition will feature many photographs taken during his spring 2023 journey to Kaohsiung City and its vicinity. The seemingly ordinary photos capture the flow of time and the lives of people in those places. Describing the act of taking photographs as being "similar to drawing," these works present Nara's perspective on the world through his eyes or lens, offering a direct encounter with the artist's sensibility.
Schedule | Nov 24 (Fri) 2023-Dec 26 (Tue) 2023 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Nov 24 (Fri) 2023 17:00 - 19:00 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.takaishiigallery.com/en/archives/36949/ | ||||
| Venue | Taka Ishii Gallery Photography / Film http://www.takaishiigallery.com/ | ||||
| Location | 2F Axis Bldg., 5-17-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from exit 3 at Roppongi Station on the Hibiya or Toei Oedo line, 8 minute walk from exit 1 at Roppongi-itchome Station on the Namboku line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6447-1035 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it     |
Back to Articles
SHARE
No comments yet