"Note" Haruna Hirano May 2011, 5 - May 16, 2011
Venue: Art Gallery T+
Date: December 2011, 5 - January 16, 2011
Exhibitor: Haruna Hirano (3rd year student majoring in Art and Design)
Photo Exhibition
T+review
There are nine photographs hanging on a white wall. From a distance, they are all pitch black and it is impossible to tell what they are. That can't be, they are photographs so there must be something in them, I thought, as I got closer and closer, drawn in, and when I looked closely at each one, I saw something like whitish smoke, something indescribable, something that was either in the picture or not, but it was definitely there. When I had this idea, I was shocked. Aren't the nine photographs in front of me nine spaces?
The color black has an unexpected depth. When I close my eyes at night, it feels as if the ceiling and walls of the room I sleep in no longer exist, and only deep darkness continues on forever. That is the feeling I get from these photographs. It is frightening to even think about what on earth is contained in the endless space of the nine photographs hanging on the white wall. It is a chaotic, eerie space with depth, where anything could happen. What is it that appears vaguely from the depths of this vast space? And what is the true nature of this space?
The word "note" in the exhibition title means memo or record. What on earth are these nine photographs a record of? They are probably the deepest state of the artist's mind. A record of chaos that is not even conscious, before it becomes a clear mental image. If that is the case, then there is no meaning to what is being photographed. No one knows. A moment of light captures something incomprehensible that is hazy, flickering, and flickering, even deeper within a vivid mental image. It is reassuring to peer into the depths of one's own mind with the calm attitude of recording.
Despite all these thoughts, the endless black space still makes me uneasy. I feel as if I can never take my eyes off it. I feel as if I experience the same sensation when looking at this work, but perhaps it is only with other people's eyes. I thought I was looking at nine photographs, but before I knew it, I felt as if I was looking into the eyes of the artist. (Kanazawa Minami)
