Shimpei Yamagami Exhibition

Shibunkaku showcases eighteen works by up-and-coming photographer Yamagami Shimpei in this solo exhibition at our main gallery in Kyoto. The show will move on in June to our Ginza location.

Centering on Yamagami’s three series Equal, Spectrum and Sow, the exhibition presents a rigorous selection of the artist’s achievement so far. Working on these series since 2008, Yamagami evokes a continuous, quiet probe into abysmal darkness re-envisioned as a mental state, a reflection of man’s quest for purpose vis-à-vis nature and life.

“In the dark, we perceive the traces of countless lives, whose intersections and overlaps create an immense sense of depth. When I press the shutter, I envision myself submerged in the tranquility of these depths,” says Yamagami. “It is as if I am at the bottom of the sea and a ray of light is reaching me from above. To me, a faint light appears even stronger.”

Darkness does not imply negativity by any means. Yamagami’s photographs demonstrate that by placing ourselves within the dark, we are becoming more sensitive to light and the breath of life, and the beauty that comes with it.