AYAKA YAMAMOTO – “NOUS N’IRONS PLUS AU BOIS”

Posted on 2014-01-13

This exhibition will comprise about 10 portraits taken between 2009 and 2013 in various places around Europe.

Yamamoto prepares all of the outfits for her shooting only after she arrives at her destination. Since all of her photographs are made with natural light, Yamamoto always picks locations outside of major cities. Her subjects and settings are also selected entirely on location, through communication with the people who live there. Rather than communicating with words, Yamamoto uses gestures and sounds to pick settings and outfits together with her subjects. Certainly, by taking a photograph of a person without their normal clothes, the photographs take on something of a timeless, stateless air.

After going through so many steps of the shooting process together, though, it would be difficult to say precisely to whom these images belong. The nameless subjects existing in these photographs cannot easily become the property of the audience, much less the photographer: they resist such direct connections. Through this unstable relationship, Yamamoto richly awakens the possibilities of photography.

Opposite – Untitled, 2010

Exhibition runs through to February 8th, 2014

Taka Ishii Gallery
1-3-2 5F Kiyosumi
Koto-ku
Tokyo 135-0024
Japan

www.takaishiigallery.com

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ZACK SECKLER – BOTSWANA

Posted on 2014-01-13

In Botswana, Zack Seckler captured the boundless, raw beauty of Africa as seen from less than 500 feet above ground. From this vantage point, the animals, vegetation and salt ponds appeared magical. “As an artist, the experience was visceral and life changing.”

Through his unique perspective, vistas once invisible to those on the ground or in a jetliner above are captured in exquisite detail. As he soars over the wildlife and its surrounding beauty, the earth deconstructs into parts and shapes and we see the subtle, aesthetic moments within the iconic landscapes. This rare view enabled Seckler to create images that are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar.

“Being above the ground at such low elevations, and having the ability to precisely maneuver, was like gliding over an enormous painting and being able to create brushstrokes at will.” Seckler’s opportunity to create Botswana followed a 2009 commission in the same region. He was given unfettered access to an ultra-light aircraft and expert pilot. “As soon as I saw the landscape from above I knew there was potential to create a special body of work.”

Seckler describes each frame as having its own story—stories in the movements of zebras and cows and the delicate footprints they leave behind, feelings in the rippled water and vibrant vegetation. The journey into his photographic safari is one of muted hues and expertly composed compositions.

Opposite – Tswana Herd, 2009

Exhibition runs through to February 23rd, 2014

Robin Rice Gallery
325 W 11th Street
New York
NY
10014

www.robinricegallery.com

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