Hiroshi Sugimoto | Colors of Shadow

Posted on 28/09/2011 by W&V

Colors of Shadow is the first conceptual photo series which artist Hiroshi Sugimoto photographed in color and it shows his continuous interrogation of photography’s intrinsic nature; of light entering into a darkened or “dimmed chamber”, however, the light source remains out of view. The work is minimalist in nature. The photographic field is emptied of any superfluous detail, allowing stillness for meditation.
Colors of Shadow seems also to mirror the white cube, the gallery space, in its perpetual rhythm to lay bare its white walls to receive the work of art. Here the works reflect its surroundings; the detail is focused on what the viewer’s eye does not generally pay attention to. Brought into focus are the corners of the space, its ceiling and walls with different hues of whites due to the slightest alteration in lighting, and their cast shadows.

Subtle play of light and shadow as well as spatial composition are central in this work by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. He explains it as following:

”I’ve learned many things from using my hands. While I’m still not sure about the nature of light—whether it’s waves or particles—I’ve learned something about shadows. Trying to devise a way of observing shadows, this project escalated into a major undertaking, requiring an entire hilltop penthouse in a Tokyo apartment. When surfaces receive light, the light effects vary according to the angle of exposure. Selecting three distinct angles—90°, 55°, and 35°—I had the walls surfaced using traditional Japanese shikkui (plaster finishing), which absorbs and reflects light most evenly. In the morning light, the shadows play freely over the surfaces, now appearing, now vanishing. On rainy days, they take on a deeper, more evocative cast. I’ve only just begun my observations, but already I’ve discovered a sublime variety in shadow hues.”

Photos from top to bottom:
Colors of shadow c1020
Colors of shadow c1031
Colors of shadow c1028
Colors of shadow c1023
Colors of shadow c1019

Photos by: Hiroshi Sugimoto | Hiroshi Sugimoto website | source: Marian Goodman Gallery

Vangelis Paterakis | Shadow life

Posted on 01/12/2010 by W&V

Vangelis Paterakis is a Greek photographer and artist. For his commissioned work he collaborated often on editorials for magazines and with advertising companies.

Shadow life is a second series of art photos after his shadow series.
Vangelis Paterakis says himself about this work:
“It is a second creation of organisms that make up an unnoticed realm of life as we don’t know it”
With Shadow Life Vangelis Paterakis continues seeking bodies that give birth to new figures and shadows that rise new souls. His pictures remain familiar and their figures emit an instant mood for creation, annihilating the stillness of the picture offering to the spectator a side of life far from its daily perception. He gives shape to the human shadow that immaterial element of us all an indefinite subject that appears when light strikes a surface only to then melt away and blend in with the surrounding surfaces. The concept and images create a fascinating space for philosophical reflections and remind us of a line written by the Swiss thinker Carl Justav Jung:
“Contact with our shadows allows us to identify more closely with ourselves and touch a profound part of very being.”