Safe-T-Gallery
will host an exhibition of the quietly thrilling black and white
photographs of Shigeki Yoshida, “Silent City,” at
our DUMBO gallery from January 25th to February 24, 2007 with
a reception
for the artist on January 25th from 6 to 8 PM.
Shigeki Yoshida’s “Silent City” exists in
the frazzled, driven and ego-centric urban places of the world --
places like New
York -- but somewhere on a different level. It is a city of people,
bricks and glass, but one filled with moments of quiet clarity.
Often dark, there are always small areas of exquisite light.
Carrying on
photographic traditions of pioneers like Harry Callahan and Roy
DeCavara, (with whom he has studied) Yoshida brings a distinct
21st century
sensibility to his work. He freely incorporates minimalist and
conceptualist ideas into his pieces and yet the influence of
traditional Japanese
and Chinese painting strategies are also evident. His photographs
are extended meditations on the qualities of light and line,
and yield increasing pleasure as we are drawn deeper into the smallest
details of the print.
“Many think of black and white photography as an exhausted medium,” writes
Mr. Yoshida, “But I would say that it is the fundamental medium that deals
with light.... I photograph believing in the possibility of photography to depict
even something invisible. I do not look for something visually obvious, but rather
something suggestive, like a momentary light which not only casts on an actual
scene, but also reflects upon my mind. I wish for the light to reach to the viewers’ mind
in the hope of transcending the usual sentimental resonances, and of touching
the viewers’ memories beyond specific cultural backgrounds.”
Shigeki
Yoshida was born in Japan and studied painting at Wako University in
Tokyo. His paintings have been exhibited internationally. He came to
New
York
on a scholarship from the Japanese government and studied photography
at Hunter College, CUNY with Mark Feldstein and Roy DeCarava, receiving
an MFA
in 2005. “Silent
City” is the first one-person show of his photographs.
