Hiroshi Sugimoto: Dioramas

Hiroshi Sugimoto began Dioramas, his earliest photographic series, upon his arrival in New York in 1974. While visiting the American Museum of Natural History, the artist made an important observation. “The stuffed animals positioned before painted backdrops looked utterly fake, yet by taking a quick peek with one eye closed, all perspective vanished, and suddenly they looked very real,” recalls Sugimoto. “I had found a way to see the world as a camera does. However fake the subject, once photographed, it’s as good as real.”

Black and white photograph of a mountainside diorama with two antelopes
Black-and-white photograph of a museum diorama of three vultures sitting on a rocky outcrop against a mountainous background
Black-and-white photograph of a museum diorama of prehistoric squid on the seafloor
Black-and-white photograph of a museum diorama of early humans working with animal skins
Black and white photograph of a grassland diorama scene with a pack of lions
Black and white photograph of an island diorama scene with two large tortoises
Black and white photograph of a diorama depicting three gorillas within a verdant jungle with a mountain range on the horizon
Black and white photograph of a diorama depicting two mountain lions resting within an enclave in the Grand Canyon
Black and white photograph of a life size diorama of two cassowaries in a tropical setting with waterfall
Black and white photograph of a diorama depicting apes foraging in the forest
Black and white photograph of a diorama depicting a body of water surrounded by a verdant valley
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