Shigeru Yoshida
"Calm Wayfaring"

Exhibition: 16 July – 21 September, 2014
Opening: 15 July, 2014

The Lumiere Brothers Center of Photography presents first exhibition of a Japanese photographer Shigeru Yoshida in Russia. The exhibition will include 22 black–and-white photographs, made in the unique «Fresco Giclée» technique. The author will open the first Moscow exhibition and hold a lecture.

Shigeru Yoshida is a new name for the traditional perception of Japanese culture in Russia. The author has begun his creative way with making the “Big tree in the world” series. The snapshots were made principally in Africa, as well as in Madagascar, Taiwan, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the United Kingdom. For almost 30 years of his career, Shigeru has held exhibitions in Japan and the USA; he also received membership of the Japan Professional Photographers Society.

After ruinous disaster overwhelmed Japan in 2011, Shigeru started to work on the photographic series “Borders”. The author’s inner experiences are reflected in his works, where he explores the sacred value of water, which in the traditional Japanese worldview signifies time of life and durable bonds between human and nature.

In Japanese landscape photography, as well as in engraving, there is a strong influence of Zen philosophy, in which truth comes through meditation. Shigeru’s minimalistic photographs configure spectator on philosophical mood.

The author believes that relations with nature are inextricably related to prayer. In his own words: “In Japan we pray not only to God, but also to Nature. We express gratitude and respect for everything that surrounds us. As for me, I’m trying to show the hidden force of prayer in my photographs.”

Shigeru travels a lot around his native country in order to find images that he presents in his photographs. By wayfaring and collecting memoires about scenic parts of his own country, the author expresses his respect to elements of water. Work on the “Borders” series is being continued.

The method of making his black-and-white photos is as fine and delicate as the Japanese calligraphy creating process. The author’s unique technique is called “Fresco Giclée”, which combines factory technology of covering a very thin sheet of paper with slaked lime and pigment on archival ink-jet print. Innovative print technologies in combination with the renaissance “al fresco” method, which inspired the author, create inimitable charm of Schigeru’s photographs.