Day: April 3, 2018

Now open at the Artists In Residence gallery in the InterstellART, curated by Asmita Duranjaya, is a new exhibition of physical world photography by Fuyuko Amano (Wintergeist). Entitled Entscheidungen (decisions), it is dedicated to her father, who recently passed away, and so forms something of a personal exhibition of art.

A further dedication to her father sits alongside the landing point for the exhibit, which reads:

One morning you do not wake up. The birds sing as they sang yesterday. Nothing changes this new daily routine. Only you left. You are free now and our tears wish you luck.

Inside the gallery space, a dozen photographs are offered for viewing. They at first appear to be a curious mix: a building, an autumn leaf, a deliberately blurred night scene, an empty corridor, and so on. They seem to be random – and perhaps they are; yet, a considered look at them, taken with their titles (just right-click and edit to view), and perhaps something more is revealed.

When we lose someone, the mind becomes a waterfall of memories and mood, thoughts and feelings. The closer that person was to us, then the more tumultuous the thoughts. We can feel alone, caught between places and feelings – sometimes happy, others sad; places we can go to and remember, places that remind us, unbidden by conscious thought. Our moods become complex, layered; the familiar seems emptier, stranger, and it’s hard  – at first – not to count the passing of time when they are no longer there, doing what we know was part of their life.

This is this cascade of thoughts and feelings that might be reflected in the images offered here: rather than being a study of leaves turning red with the passage of the seasons, Herbst (Autumn)  becomes a reminder of what has now come to an end; Night City personifies the way the once familiar can seem suddenly strange to our eyes after the loss of a loved one; Here and There captures that sense of being capture between moods and memories; while In the City of Ghosts, Allein (Alone) and Don’t lose Your Way, speak powerfully and clearly without the need for translation here.

This is – as I noted – something of a personal display of photography, both in the way it is dedicated to the passing of a family member, and because of the manner in which Wintergeist appears to be opening her heart and feelings to use, allowing us a glimpse inside. Artistically speaking, it is also a visually captivating set of images; each beautifully framed and cleanly presented without the distraction of framing.

SLurl Details

• Entscheidungen (InterstellART, rated: Moderate)