Hiroshi Sugimoto Hiroshi Sugimoto was born in Tokyo in 1947. After traveling through Russia and Europe, Sugimoto came to Los Angeles in the seventies, where he began studying photography at the Art Center College of Design. These studies gave Sugimoto a technical expertise that is central to his work. His current preferred tool is a late 19th century/early 20th century big box camera with sheet film, as it achieves the highest technical results possible. With this camera, Sugimoto also prefers to use black and white film, rather than color, as black and white reveals gradations and tonalities that would otherwise be lost in the latter. Upon completion of his studies, Sugimoto moved to New York and began work on his photographic series. Understanding the idea of series and repetition is crucial to fully grasping Sugimoto’s work. The series is in its entirety is one work itself, with each photograph acting as a part of a whole. It is when viewing the series in its entirety that the viewer begins to refocus his attention and see the small differences that distinguish the individual images. Thus, the body of the series turns into a chain of links, in which the viewer is invited to compare and contrast one against the next. That is when the series becomes less about objectively documenting different scenes, and more about empirically observing them. As of 2004, Sugimoto has created seven different series: “Dioramas,” “Wax Museums,” (both begun in 1976) “Theaters,” (since 1978) “Seascapes,” (since 1980) “Sanjusangendo-Hall of 33 Bays,” (since 1995) “Architectures,” (since 1997) and “Pinetrees” (since 2001). While each of these series share a common quality of repetition, they possess different moods and messages. For example, the compositional arrangement of “Seascapes” reveals two different types of influences; the first is religious. In “Seascapes,” Sugimoto uses the horizon he has photographed to divide the upper and lower halves of the image equally, between the sky and the ocean. The result is a calmness and timelessness that emanates a strong spirituality towards the viewer. Sugimoto is able to convey this through the sublime image he creates by using muted grays and withholding an easy-to-decipher subject from the image. The other influence in “Seascapes” is art historical. Moreover, the spiritual effects Sugimoto creates from depicting the sea are also seen in works by artists of the past, such as Caspar David Friedrich. This reference to previous masters are also found in other series, such “Pinetrees.” In “Pinetrees,” Sugimoto uses silhouette in order to refer to the tradition of Japanese Ink Painting, specifically the 16th century artist Hasegawa Tohaku. Not all the series, however, draw ties to the past. “Dioramas” and “Theaters” explore the concept of illusion. It is in these series that Sugimoto investigates the manner in which cultures tell their stories through visual means. This is ironically or purposefully similar to the way Sugimoto explores his culture in the same manner. Hiroshi Sugimoto currently lives and works in New York City. Edited by R. S. * Photograph by © Hiroshi Sugimoto «back