PROFILE
Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1988. Completed a master’s degree at Kyoto University of Art and Design Graduate School in 2015. Taking as his major theme the relationship between humanity and the environment, he is working on the creation of photographic artwork in the city and suburbs. Recent major solo exhibitions include “Heterotopia” (KUNST ARZT, Kyoto, 2015) and “Beyond the Landscape　KYOTO” (Kyoto Art Outlet Center, 2015).

DATE
2015

MEDIUM
pigment print

DIMENSIONS
H60×W90cm

STATEMENT
Michel Foucault (1926–1984) used the word heterotopia for a place that really exists but has a character completely unlike any other place. Examples include gardens, cemeteries, art museums, one’s parents’ double bed on a Thursday afternoon, and so on). I record with my camera places that have a specific character—urban graveyards, expressway construction sites and their surrounding environments, archaeological digs, and so on. Based on the concept of heterotopia, I take pictures with my camera, and try to capture and convey the unique character of those places.

ABOUT MUSIC AND ART
I first heard the Miles Davis album Bitches Brew … oh, it must have been the first or second year after I started taking pictures. At that time I was thinking about “photos without a center.” When I say “center,” please understand that I mean the central subject being photographed, the point that draws the eye of the viewer. I suppose it would be like when we describe a photograph with flowers in it as a “picture of flowers,” it’s the part of the photo with the flowers in it. So, when I say “photos without a center” that means the kind of photo that can draw the viewer’s eye to the various elements on the screen and make them look all over the place. Not only the details but the whole body of those photos have meaning. It may seem like a very basic point, but this is the kind of thing that I am conscious of when I create my work. When I hear this album, I remember all the things I was thinking of back then.

Hikari Okawara PLAYLIST