Stephen Bulger Gallery presents “Microcosms Macrocosms”, the first Canadian exhibition of work by the artist Yamamoto Masao.
Yamamoto is renowned for his small hand-worked gelatin silver prints, which he delicately distresses to imbue the object with a degree of patina in order for the photographs to appear from an indeterminant time, encouraging the viewer to engage with photography as a tactile experience. The sensual surfaces of his black and white photographs contain subtle tones that contrast with ephemeral moments he explores in his imagery. Yamamoto’s photographs are often compared to Japanese Haiku, short poems that derive their power from simple and direct images drawn from nature.
This exhibition includes work from several series including “A Box of Ku”, “Nakazora”, “Kawa=Flow”, “Shizuka=cleanse” and “Bonsai”. Assemblage is also very important to Yamamoto’s practice and he has created a unique installation of photographs for this exhibition, as he has done in museum and gallery exhibitions around the world. Although his subject matter is varied, each photograph displays Yamamoto’s curiosity, fascination, and reverence for what he discovers and experiences.
Yamamoto was born in 1957 in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, near the centre of Honshu, the main island of Japan. He studied painting before taking up photography exclusively in 1993. He has published a dozen books, most recently Tori (Radius Books, 2016) and Poems of Santoka (Galerie Vevais, 2016).
Yamamoto lives in Yatsugatake Nanroku, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan where he enjoys creating his work while being close to nature.
Yamamoto Masao – Microcosms Macrocosms
October 20 – November 17, 2018
Stephen Bulger Gallery
1356 Dundas Street West Toronto ON Canada M6J1Y2
Opening Reception: Saturday October 20, 2-5pm
Guided Tour of the Exhibition with Yamamoto Masao: Saturday, October 20, 3pm
