Internationally recognized and appreciated for almost half a century for his photographs of landscapes, Michael Kenna surprised everybody by revealing recently a series of feminine nudes realized during the last ten years, on the occasion of his frequent stays in Japan.
But, after the initial surprise, it is clear that these nudes are naturally part of the career and artistic concerns of the photographer.
Whether working in the Far East or elsewhere, Kenna approaches the landscape with a sense of wonder, sensitivity to beauty, and magnifying where necessary what is offered to his gaze, where others would only see trivial banality. Still, he shows the utmost humility in the world around him, whether it is a virgin nature or “man-made” landscapes, shaped by man.
It is with the same attitude of respect and admiration that he turns this time to the the woman’s body, caressing it with a modest gaze, only sensitive to the harmony of its forms.
The result is refined, timeless images with rigorous framing, where young women find themselves perfectly in tune with the domestic environment in which they live, body and decor marrying in a tribute to the culture and aesthetics of traditional Japan.
This exhibition – the fifth we dedicated to the work of Michael Kenna – is an event that particularly touches us as it is the first time this series has been exhibited in a European gallery.
Michael Kenna – Rafu
Box galerie
25.01 – 16.03.2019
102 chaussée de Vleurgat
1050 Bruxelles
