Masao Yamamoto KAWA=Flow Exhibition by Yamamoto Masao Most of his photographic works are in monochrome and its aged texture reminds us of "memories dropping out of someone's drawers". Snapshot sized, yet speechlessly beautiful pictures have been exhibited in groups of ten to several hundred spread across the wall, or sometimes placed in a small box. Tranquility around each photograph filled the entire space. Strangely, the existence of a single piece of art and a whole installation seemed to be equal. It recalls oriental and Japanese ideas about the relationships between the world and self. Western audiences pick up those essences and are the reason why his work is widely appreciated in the western world. It is clear that Yamamoto's new attempt is in "KAWA=Flow". Unlike previous exhibitions, he mounted framed pictures one by one. This time the audience is able to experience each one individually, instead of viewing the collective entity. Kawa (river) is not a geographical border but is instead viewed as a sentimental divide. Lines that divide life and death are examples of this. Kawa also implies the flow of our on-going life. The artist experiences the flow when he releases the shutters and takes a picture. Yamamoto has seen and experienced thousands of rivers. The images he captured remind the audience of an existence of a river that flows from current life to future life. When the audience looks at the world, (which is the individual according to oriental thoughts,) they realize that both conscious and unconscious thoughts all flow like a river. Framed individually, his work can be similar to the poetry style of HAIKU. HAIKU brings flow to the poetry world by featuring seasonal words and capturing a vivid moment. Yamamoto's photographic works present a moment in a similarly beautiful and momentous flow. The world is beautiful and ever changing; only when we stop at this river do we notice the flow.

Depuis une vingtaine d'années, Yamamoto Masao a construit un ensemble photographique d'une écriture très personnelle, qu'il a intitulé d'abord "A box of Ku", puis "Nakazora" (Termes rattachés à la philosophie bouddhiste : Ku = vide, Nakazora = "entre la terre et le ciel"). Ses photographies, sortes de "haïkus photographiques", prenaient la forme de petites images fragiles et patinées, comme marquées par le passage du temps. On les imaginait sauvées de l'anonymat, extraites d'une boite de souvenirs trouvée aux puces. Démarche cohérente et touchante : Yamamoto explorait la puissance poétique des images, leur capacité à restituer un sentiment de mémoire, le souvenir ténu reliant l'image au monde. Yamamoto Masao aurait pu continuer indéfiniment à remplir sa "boite de vide" ("box of Ku"), mais la nécessité lui est apparue de concentrer son regard, d'aller plus lentement et de suivre un fil, celui de la métaphore de la rivière (Kawa), du flot immuable et à chaque instant renouvelé de l'existence. Cette concentration s'accompagne d'un renouvellement de la forme et de la façon de montrer ses images : abandonnant l'idée d'accumulation (boite de tirages que le visiteur peut "feuilleter" ou mise au mur très libre d'une profusion de photographies), Yamamoto souhaite que le spectateur s'arrète sur chaque photographie, qui est donc encadrée individuellement, de façon classique. Notre exposition est à la charnière de ce passage et nous montrons à la fois une installation de style "Nakazora" réalisée par Yamamoto, et un ensemble de photographies récentes de la série "Kawa".