Seiji Shibuya 

Dance 74 

Dance 74

About the artist

Seiji Shibuya’s photography is best described as contemplative.
 No explicit theme connects his images, apart from the breath of lightness that pervades his work, the silence of a body of water and its imperturbable reflections, or the rustling leaves of fruit trees in the summer and their play of light and shadow.

Interview

Could you tell us about the two images presented? Under what circumstances and state of mind were they made?
The one entitled Aberdeen was shot in the United States in 2006. I took a lot of pictures of forests and logging for a photo report about forestry.
The timber is cut into huge pieces, much larger than I had imagined: the proportions are so enormous that people are sometimes crushed by them.
The one entitled Dance 74 was taken in front of my parents’ house in 2009. I have always liked to look at this vineyard since I was a kid. It’s just outside the door, but I never went in. You can hear the sound of blank shots being fired to scare away the birds. The vineyard is protected by nets; the grapes they grow here have no pips, you can eat them with the skin, they’re amazingly sweet.

How would you describe your approach of photography?

Does it result from contemplative wanderings, after which images come together freely in retrospect, or do you plan your projects ahead, with a clear vision of what you want to achieve?
I go out with relatively clear visions and directions, but am often surprised by what I discover and capture. I usually make multiple prints to find out what I really want and finalise the image.

You are a colour photographer: you leave plenty of room for colour to express itself in your images, and seem to have a preference for sunny atmospheres. What part does colour play in the composition of your images?
I believe light blue symbolizes “emancipation” and blue-green “silence”. In order to fully express the world’s dimensions, I always try to work on colour and space simultaneously.

Limited edition, numbered and signed. 


Selected shows and awards

River River, Spiral Garden, Tokyo, 2013
Letters
, The Hakone Open Air Museum, Hakone, 2012
Flame, Akaaka Gallery, Tokyo, 2011
Dance, Akaaka Gallery, Tokyo, 2010
River, Aoyama Spiral Gallery, Tokyo, 2008
Birth, AMPG, Tokyo, 2007

Selected publications

By The Woods, The Hakone Open-Air Museu, 2012
Against The Sky, The Hakone Open-Air Museum, 2012
Dance, Akaaka Art Publishing, 2010
Birth, Akaaka Art Publishing, 2008

Details

& order

Seiji Shibuya 
Dance 74

2010

Technical information

Pigment print on Ilford Gallery Gold Fibre Silk Paper- limited edition, numbered and signed certificate.

Dimensions

30 x 36,4 cm, Edition of 50 250.00 €




By the same artist

Seiji Shibuya


By the same curator

NEW JPN GEN with Marc Feustel