Eikoh Hosoe "Butterfly Dream: Kazuo Ono, Butoh Artist"

Shadai Gallery, Tokyo Institute of Polytechnics

Finished

Artists

Eikoh Hosoe

Eikoh Hosoe (1933-) graduated from the Tokyo Photography College (now the Tokyo Polytechnic University) in 1954, and has since been active as a freelance photographer for the past 54 years. Starting with his 1960 work "Otokoto Onna," Hosoe has made consistently challenging and groundbreaking work, like "Rose Punishment," "Kamaitachi," and "Embrace", continuing to push the boundaries of Japanese photographic practice. In later works, Hosoe would continue to pursue themes like human bodies and the spirit, life and death, all suffused with the artist's own profound "love and respect" for photography. The works featured in this exhibition have garnered tremendous praise and numerous awards both in Japan and abroad, attesting to Hosoe's continued reputation as one of Japan's finest photographers.
Besides his considerable activities as a photographer, Hosoe also worked as a professor at the Tokyo Photography College and Tokyo Polytechnic University from 1975-2003, devoting his efforts to nurturing a younger generation of emerging photographers. He is currently emeritus professor at the latter institution.
Hosoe met Kazuo Ono in 1959 through the butoh pioneer artists Tatsumi Hijikata, and has since continued to photograph the physical form and inner spirit of this remarkable dancer. In addition, Hosoe released a collection of photographs entitled "Butterfly Dream: Kazuo Ono, Butoh Artist" on October 27, 2006, on the occasion of Ono's 100th birthday, holding a presentation ceremony of his publication to Ono at Yokohama BANKArt 1929 on the day itself.
Hosoe received the 49th Mainichi Art Prize for the 2007 calendar year this January. "Butterfly Dream" was one of the works under consideration leading up to this award. This exhibition at Shadai Gallery is devoted to this remarkable work.

Schedule

Apr 9 (Wed) 2008-Jun 8 (Sun) 2008