EMON Photo Gallery is pleased to announce a special exhibition consisting of photographs, drawings and sculpture carefully chosen from the private collection of EMON Director Seiji Komatsu. Inspiration for the curatorial direction of this exhibition was drawn from the title of Noriaki Yokosuka’s (RIP) photo book The Photon and Ogre. Edited and given its name by Seigo Matsuoka and published in 2005, the book is an exploration of the ‘ogre’ of insanity that lurks in the jet-blackness of shadow. 

Countless myths and religions make allegorical use of the contrast between light and shadow to represent life and death, good and evil, the past and future; and the impact of this binary on culture and art needs no explanation. In this first attempt at an exhibition based on a private collection, I have chosen to focus on artists who face off against this most primordial of themes, whose works oscillate between the poles of light and shadow like a pendulum, or even seek out the very essence of light itself. Beginning with Noriaki Yokosuka’s debut series Shafts and Hiroshi Yamazaki’s defining work Heliography, this exhibition will feature 16 pieces by contemporary photographers, drawing artists and sculptors. 

The fact that these works come from a private collection undoubtedly imbues the overall ambience with an idiosyncratic hue, however we at EMON would be most pleased if visitors approached this exhibition as an insight into one aspect of the artistic philosophy of EMON Photo Gallery. Discerning art lovers, those interested in collecting, and of course artists–regardless of genre–we welcome one and all to come and view our latest exhibition. 

EMON Director Seiji Komatsu