Keeping the Festival in the picture
Photographer HIROSHI SUGIMOTO uses the past to explore the present. Words: Helen Monaghan
ime has always been an essential element within
lliroshi Sugimoto‘s photography. 'l'aking series ol
photographs and continually adding to them. the Japanese photographer has documented the passage ol’ time in Theaters. photographing the blank luminoUs white rectangle oi light as the lilm literally \anishes l‘rom the screen. He has suspended time in Drum/nus and lint .iluwmns and in .S‘t'ust'u/m. he captures timelessness tilting the li'ame with the inlinite expanse ol water.
The .-tri'/rilt'clm’t' of" 'l'i'nu' exhibition marks Sugimolo‘s lirst major solo show of work in the l'K. housed in two lidinburgh art spaces. the liruitmarket (iallery and Stills (the latter being the \enue tor a show of his work back in 1997). He Uses a l‘)th century style American hox camera. and works only in black and white. llis exhibition l‘eatures images iron] the sc‘t'lcs .'\l'('/lll(’(‘llll'(’.\ (1997 ): l’i'm'm't'y (2002 i and .S't'uyt-u/u's i thla l. Speaking l‘rom .lapan. Sugimoto explains that he‘s not tempted by the digital age in photography. He continues to work with this old style camera.
‘llolding the cral'tsmanship in my hands is Very important.’ says Sugimoto. 'l haye trained mysell' yery well and nobody can cotnpete with my craftsmanship which I atn yery proud ol‘. 'l‘he l‘)th century style camera still produces the best quality black and white images ol photography.’
Born in Tokyo in W48. Sugimoto lel‘t Japan in l‘)7() to study photography at the Art ('enter('ollege ol Design in l.os Angeles. In l‘)74. he armed to New York where he continues to Me and work. It was here that Sugimoto encountered minimalism and conceptual art. the work ol' (‘arl Andre and Dan Hay in. which has greatly inl'luenced his artistic output.
'When I moy ed to New York. I encountered the
66 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE '
Photography a In second-class medium and I wanted to make in me it first class
Casa Batllo, Antoni Gaudi, 1998 by Hiroshi Sugimoto
contemporary art scene that was happening at the time and it was then when I got y'ery sCl'ltttls about art.‘ he says. 'l wanted to join the scene and present something new and at that time photography was still an non-art medium. jttst a second-class medium but I liked it a lot and I wanted to make it a lirst class medium.’
Which is what he went on to do. Sugimoto began to produce a series ol‘ on-going works: Dioramas dates l’rom 1974. .S'mst'u/n's' l‘rom WW and T/lt'tllt’l‘x l‘rom W78.
‘l'ye ney'er linished any one ot‘ the series.‘ Sugimoto explains. '.\ly policy is that l w ill stop doing it when I get tired of doing it and not necessarily when. like many
other artists. it no longer .sclls. For the lirst 2t) years ol
producing the .S't'us'culu's'. they ney'er sold. its only been the last few years. 'l’hat experience gay'e me a good education though. I lime to he yery patient and eonlident about my art.’ Sugimoto’s work. particularly. the .S‘t'ust'u/u's. he prolongs time and the process ol' looking. creating extremely meditatiye and seductiy'e images. relatiyely new series. Arr/rim'Iun's. Sugimoto turns his lens onto icons or 2(lth century architecture lirank l.loy'd Wright‘s (iuggenheim Museum in New York. .\lies yan de Rohe's Seagram Building. Antoni (iaudi’s (‘asa Batllo. l.e ('orbusier‘s \r'illa Sayoye to create subtle studies ol. design. Abstract in sly lc. they are deliberately Italy and out-oli—l‘ocus.
tor me. the actual presence oi‘ the physical buildings are the dead-end ol' architecture] he says. "l’he most beautil‘ul state ol‘ the architecture is when the architect conceiyed the image of the building in his mind. I'm trying to go backwards in time again. trying to reach the most original \ isions ol' the buildings.’
(‘apturiug the architects original Vision is something that Sugimoto has undoubtedly achieyed. The Architecture of Time, Fruitmarket Gallery and Stills from Sat 3 Aug-Sat 21 Sep.
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The best exhibitions opening this week
W Howard Hodgkin: Large Paintings 1984-2002 Edinburgh gets the only showing of around 20 large paintings made over the last two decades by the renowned painter. Howard Hodgkin. One of the most significant painters working today in Britain. Hodgkin paints thoughts and memories of past events or places he's seen which delve deep into his subconscious. See preview. Dean Gallery, 624 (3200. 7 Aug—6 Oct.
m Hiroshi Sugimoto A major solo showcase of work by the world-renowned Japanese photographer. New- York based Hiroshi Sugimoto. Known for his photographic series of empty movie theatres. museum dioramas and waxworks. Sugimoto turns his lens to icons of 20th century architecture. pine trees and oceans. See preview. F/‘u/tmarket Ga/lery, 225 2383 and StI/ls. 622 6200. 3 Aug—2] Sep.
Abstraction Ellsworth Kelly. Agnes Martin. Callum lnnes. Howard Hodgkin and Sean Scully feature in a line—up of seminal abstract painters of the late 20th and 21st centuries along with a selling show of museum quality artetacts dating from as long ago as 3000 BC. Ing/eby Gal/ery. 556 «14/17, 3 Aug- 7 Sep.
W Moyna Flannigan: I’m a Stranger Here Myself New oils and watercolours of fictional characters by Edinburgh-based artist Moyna Flannigan. created without the use of a sitter or photographs. dogged/Sher; 558 7 I 70, 8 Aug—29 Sep.
at Bob and Roberta Smith: From text works proclaiming that ‘Bob Dylan is a tosser' and an audience invitation to make your own sculpture. London-based Bob & Roberta Smith. an imaginary couple created by Patrick Brill. attacks cultural heroes in this Festival exhibition. Co/lect/ve Gallery, 220 7260. until I Set).