For four decades, Kenji Wakasugi enjoyed the glamorous lifestyle of a portrait photographer, traveling the world to photograph the likes of singer Madonna, entrepreneur Richard Branson and the Dalai Lama.
But as camera technology advanced, the Osaka native’s desire to return to traditional Japanese aesthetics strengthened.
He drew inspiration from fusuma, the traditional sliding doors in Japanese homes that were historically painted with scenes from nature.
The 75-year-old award-winning photographer overlays photographs of fusuma from a shogun’s 17th-century villa with his own images of sweeping Himalayan or Patagonian vistas, for example.
“The Japanese have contemplated how to harmonize with nature since ancient times and developed a sophisticated artistic culture that seems to be in the process of being lost,” says Wakasugi.
“I tried to bring these sensibilities back into my world of photography.”
Gallery Exhibition
Mar 20–Apr 9
Gallery Reception
Free
Open to adults, invitees and Members only
