Birds are a recurrent theme in Japanese Masao Yamamoto’s oeuvre. In this exhibition, he pictures them as peaceful and majestic, while simultaneously celebrating their strength and dynamics. The sometimes almost human-like portraits are the result of patient observations by Yamamoto on one of his numerous hikes through nature. Influenced by the principles of Zen Buddhism and Shintoism, the original religion of Japan, Yamamoto believes that beauty and happiness can only derive from living in harmony with nature. Because of his respectful and humble attitude towards nature, Yamamoto manages to offer the viewer a glimpse into a universe of unspoiled wilderness, from which humankind is largely estranged.
By means of his delicate and sober visual language, Yamamoto creates dreamlike and timeless images. His philosophical awareness of the transitoriness of life and the continuous waves of time and energy that make up the universe, inspires the artist to avoid an imprint of temporal events or subjects on his images. Out of the same notion of the fleetingness of human presence on this planet, Yamamoto gives a new appearance to his works. Manual interventions in order to artificially age his prints, such as bathing them in tea or ripping, scratching and creasing their borders, provide his images with the nostalgic aura of an old memory from a long forgotten time.
Masao Yamamoto, Tori
September 7 to November 4, 2017
GALLERY FIFTY ONE
Zirkstraat 20
2000 Antwerp
Belgium
