Hiroshi Sugimoto: Black Box

Catalogue of an exhibition held at Fundacion MAPFRE: Barcelona, February 19-May 8, 2016; Madrid, June 23-September 24, 2016. Hiroshi Sugimoto has explored ideas of time, empiricism and metaphysics through a surreal and formalistic approach since the 1970s. A self-described “habitual self-interlocutor”, Sugimoto uses the camera as a bridge between abstract questions and the quiet, comical nature of modern everyday life. Whether formally photographing Madame Tussauds wax figures and the wildlife scenes at the American Museum of Natural History, or opening the lens of his eight-by-ten camera to capture a two-hour-long film in one exposure, he explores themes of consumerism, narrative and existence in rich and evocative imagery. This new project presents a survey of Sugimoto’s iconic work, from his calm seascapes to his more recent exploration of lightning fields and photogenic drawing. Created in conjunction with an upcoming exhibition at Fundacion Mapfre in Spain, the survey includes an introduction and essay by writer and curator Philip Larratt-Smith, an interview with Sugimoto and text by the prominent Brazilian artist Iran do Espirito Santo.