Fraenkel Gallery is pleased to present Colors of Shadow, an exhibition of new work by Hiroshi Sugimoto, on view from February 1st through March 31st, 2007.
The photographs of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s recent series Colors of Shadow depict bare, interior spaces whose geometric compositions alter in surprising ways according to the angle of light affecting the surface space. Conceived as a study to observe the nature of shadows, Sugimoto designed the interior of a hilltop, Tokyo apartment specifically to facilitate his observation of the varying effects created by shadows when a surface receives light. Sugimoto coated the interior walls with shikkui, a traditional Japanese plaster finishing, so that the light would be absorbed and reflected by the surface evenly.
Sugimoto captures the subtleties of light and shadow with these photographs and demonstrates a concern for spatial composition within the picture plane. As with his previous “Seascapes”, Hiroshi Sugimoto’s minimalist sensibility remains at the forefront of Colors of Shadow.
The photographs of Colors of Shadow seem also to reflect the quintessential gallery space as a white cube laid bare to expose the work of art. In this case, the work reflects its surroundings, bringing otherwise overlooked details into focus. The corners and outlying space in which the work is normally housed becomes the work itself. Further, the control of light and cast shadows produce a visual depth equaled by the sensitivity of Sugimoto’s power of observation.
Colors of Shadow is Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first series photographed entirely in color. The series was previously on view at the artist’s first major retrospective of his thirty-year career at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C. This exhibition also traveled to The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX and will be on view at the de Young Museum in San Francisco in 2007.
