It is one of our paradoxes of the medium of photography that the viewer continuously switches from a perception of the motif presented to an aesthetic appreciation and vice versa. Unlike virtually anybody else, Hiroshi Sugimoto, one of the best-known artists of our times, reflects on and clearly shows various aspects of the medium in his impressive series of pictures in which he generally focuses on one subject. His dioramas were followed by cinemas, seascapes, cabinets of horrors, architectural pictures, portraits, pine trees, conceptual shapes, and other motifs. Sugimoto has developed a tailor-made concept for the small exhibition spaces in the Museum Brandhorst. Under the heading Revolution, this will take the form of large-format pictures of the sea at night that trace the movement of the moon over a long period. Thanks to their special presentation—these pictures are tilted ninety degrees—a puzzling effect is achieved that varies considerably depending on the region in the world or the latitude.—the publisher
