Yoshihiko Ueda "Dreams Always"

Gallery on the Hill

Finished

Artists

Yoshihiko Ueda

Since his debut with "Ryuko Tsushin" at the age of 24, Yoshihiko Ueda has spent 40 years dealing with a variety of subjects. Ueda's work is characterized by the diversity of his subjects and the breadth of his expressive range, including sacred forests and rivers, his own family, portraits, and architecture. For many years, he has traveled around the world with his beloved Deardorff 8 x 10 large format camera, sealing his strong impressions in the medium of photography.

In addition to creating artwork, he has also been actively involved in advertising production, seeking his own expression within the framework of advertising photography. An art director who worked with the young Ueda recounts an episode from a photo shoot in which he said that Ueda was a photographer who did not easily release the shutter. Ueda's stubborn eye, cultivated through a constant staring contest with his subjects, seems to gaze at moments that transcend the boundaries between art and advertising.

This exhibition introduces a series of works for Suntory Oolong Tea. Ueda worked with Suntory's advertising department, copywriter Takashi Ando, art director Kaoru Kasai, and many other staff members involved in the production of this series of advertisements. Since filming began in 1990, it can be seen as a historical record of China's transformation.

Ueda describes the Chinese landscape of that time as "faraway." The unique view of the vast land with a hazy layer of air and the beautiful scenery and human patterns of the people living in that era inspired many famous scenes of Suntory Oolong Tea. The photographs vividly capture Ueda's calm joy and excitement that grew throughout his travels.

The title of this exhibition is taken directly from the title of the famous song "Dokodemo Yume" used in the Suntory Oolong Tea commercial when Ueda first started taking photographs. Just like the song played in Japan in the late 1950s, the title of this nostalgic Suntory Oolong Tea series reflects Ueda's thoughts as he looks back on a complex and rapidly changing era. The fragments of stories scattered throughout the exhibition hall will show us that Ueda's simple and open gaze through the viewfinder allows him to capture his dreams at any time.

At the exhibition, Ueda will exhibit and sell works taken with an 8 x 10 camera for advertising photography, as well as snapshots taken with a 35mm film camera while on location. Ueda, develops the film himself, embodying the beauty of the photograph itself with his experimental framing.

Venue: Daikanshō Hillside Terrace, Hillside Forum, Gallery on the Hill

Schedule

Jul 26 (Wed) 2023-Aug 13 (Sun) 2023