Kimio Itosaki, who was born in Nagano Prefecture in 1965, studied art in high school before embarking on a design major at Tokyo University of Art and Design. His passion for avant-garde art has culminated in various continuing artistic activities themed on roads and streets recorded in photographs.
The title of this exhibition is a term invented by Itosaki that combines the words “photo” and “model.” Itosaki was one of the many students impacted by the artistic concept developed by Genpei Akasegawa and others in the early 1970s known as “Hyperart Thomasson,” which focused on functionally useless relics or buildings that were preserved and had become pieces of art in their own right. Itosaki’s “Fotomo” body of work, which he began working on in 1992, reflects on this by taking as its subject the streets of downtown Tokyo, which still bear resemblence to the Showa era (1926–1989) despite ongoing redevelopment. Using his own photographic prints, Itosaki creates pop-up collages in the mode of classical Edo period (1603–1868) “tatebanko,” which were a type of toy pop-up picture. From shooting to creating the pop-ups, all work is done by hand. What sets Itosaki’s work apart from traditional paper craft is his use of perspective, which magnifies reality to create stunning 3D visual effects. His is truly a unique form of collage that captures the imagination.
Thirty prints will be exhibited, chosen from among original prints dating back to 1992. Also available for viewing are recent works created from photos of Hong Kong.
[Related Events]
Fotomo Workshop
Event Date: May 13 (Sat) 11:00-17:00
Admission: ¥3000
Capacity: 10 (7 Years & Over; Elementary school students must be accompanied by a guardian)
*For further details please see the official website.
*Event in Japanese.
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