Lunn Galerie presents Takeshi Shikama : Shadow Memories at the Galerie Da-End in Paris.
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates. Like a phosphorescent stone, which, when in darkness, shines, but when exposed to the light, loses its fascination as a precious stone, beauty loses its existence if one removes the effects of the shadows.” – Junichirô Tanizaki
Takeshi Shikama roamed the forests of Japan, the United States, and Europe for two decades, seeking encounters with trees and nature.
After immersing himself in their silent language, he transforms their organic shapes into a visual vocabulary. Through his lens, he crystallizes the harmony and energy of nature, creating a static, yet living image. Carefully created by hand-applying a platinum/palladium emulsion to a sheet of artisanal “gampi” paper, the artist’s prints reveal his dexterity and the reverence expressed for his timeless subjects.
The eye travels, searching, carefully gazing at the innumerable details captured by the large view camera: Each blade of grass outlined by a sunbeam, each branch cutting across the sky, each rock fixing the shadows within which seem to hide imaginary creatures.
Pursuing the path of his “Contemplations,” which was released as a book in 2022 (Editions Photosynthèses), this selection of recent works by Takeshi Shikama reveals his fascination for shadows and confirms his progression towards abstraction.
This exhibit is a tribute to Shadow Memories. Historic prints and works by artists who, sometimes, as painters, are drawn to the shadows, and construct their images from the dark to light, will be presented alongside Takeshi Shikama’s images.
Like Alice drawn to the rabbit hole, doesn’t the quest for knowledge, for light, lie beyond the shadows, the unknown?
Among the artists presented: Ansel Adams, Eugène Atget/Berenice Abbott, Felice Beato, Gustave de Beaucorps, Josef Breitenbach, Walker Evans, Mario Giacomelli, John Beasley Greene, William Henry Jackson, Gertrude Kasebier, Robert MacPherson, Duane Michals, Irving Penn, Bart Julius Peters, Satoshi Saikusa, Hamid Sardar, Paul Strand, Josef Sudek, Linnaeus Tripe, Jerry Uelsmann and Carleton Watkins.
This exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Satoshi Saikusa (1959-2021), artist and creator, with his wife Quynh of Galerie Da-End, whom we thank for her hospitality. This unique space was the perfect venue for this presentation. I hope Satoshi appreciates the selection.
Christophe Lunn
Lunn Galerie presents
Takeshi Shikama – Shadow Memories
November 7 – 19, 2023
Galerie Da-End
17 Rue Guénégaud
75006 Paris, France
www.da-end.com
