Keiichi Tahara, Existence

Dates｜June 17 (Saturday) to July 15 (Saturday), 2023 ＊Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Exhibiting Works｜ Approx. 60
Organizer｜ √K Contemporary
Co-Operation｜ BUILT.LTD／Hiroko Tahara, Photographer Bunsei Matsuura
Design｜ Shintaro Tabara

＊Main Image｜Bordeaux-11 (photographed in 1980), gelatin silver print, 122 × 177 cm

√K Contemporary is proud to host Existence, a solo exhibition of the highly acclaimed Japanese photographer, Keiichi Tahara’s works. On view from June 17 (Saturday) on through July 15 (Saturday), 2023, the exhibition will present a comprehensive display of the artist’s complex oeuvre over the years.

Tahara’s fascination with European “light” began after he moved from Japan to France in 1971. From then until 2006, the artist would remain in France and remain active in a wide range of fields, from photography to architecture and sculpture.

Existence will present works from “Photosynthesis”, a series featuring the dancer Min Tanaka conducted between 1978 and 1980, which, as its title suggests, explored the relationship between physical light and the human body. In addition, Tahara’s “Portrait” series, which features photographs of world-renowned artists such as Christian Boltanski and Josef Beuys, will be on display at the gallery’s basement space. Presenting these well-known, familiar figures in a new light, these works will offer a new perspective on their humanity and “existence”. From light to the relationship between humans and the tension that arises between artists, the photographs of Tahara’s Existence offer a complex and multifaceted view of humanity.

 

 

Artists have continually utilized methods (physicality, technique, feeling, space, etc.) that most effectively express their own identity while simultaneously fascinating their viewers.
 
This exhibition is the result of a mass chemical reaction that stems from a complex, heated interaction between the artist, Keiichi Tahara, and dancer, Min Tanaka.
 
Here is where physicality, light, shadow, air, sound, vigor, and everything continues to exist.

 

— 　Shigeyoshi Kashima

 

 

IMAGES

  • Joseph BEUYS (photographed in 1981, Paris) gelatin silver print, 100 × 100 cm

  • Christian BOLTANSKI (photographed in 1979, Paris) gelatin silver print, 100 × 100 cm

  • Island-22 (photographed in 1980) archival pigment print, 150 × 225 cm

  • New York-1（photographed in 1978）gelatin silver print, 40 × 50 cm

ARTISTS

Keiichi Tahara
田原 桂一

Keiichi Tahara was born in Kyoto, Japan.  Tahara began working as a photographer after his visit to France in 1971, where he was struck by the piercing intensity of the European light, which was completely new to him, and his experience with the soft Japanese light. Since then, Paris has been the artist’s base, as he actively participated in a wide range of fields via the theme of light, from photography to sculpture, installations, and architecture. In 1977, the artist was placed into the global spotlight when his series “Fenêtre” (Window) was recognized with the Newcomer Prize at The Rencontres d’Arles, France, and was followed by numerous exhibitions hosted in Japan and Europe. Since then, Tahara has become the recipient of numerous prestigious awards such as the Ihei Kimura Award, the Niépce Prize and the French Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier grade), and the Grand Prix d’Art de la Ville de Paris. Tahara was also a branding consultant for world-renowned luxury brands, such as Cartier and Dom Perignon, for numerous advertisements and projects. In 2017, the world’s first-large scale exhibition of Photosynthesis, a series featuring the dancer, Min Tanaka was presented in “Keiichi Tahara: Photosynthesis 1978⁠–⁠1980” by the National Gallery in Prague.

 

(Sourced, translated, and edited from IMA Online：https://imaonline.jp/imapedia/keiichi-tahara/)

Keiichi Tahara
田原 桂一

Keiichi Tahara was born in Kyoto, Japan.  Tahara began working as a photographer after his visit to France in 1971, where he was struck by the piercing intensity of the European light, which was completely new to him, and his experience with the soft Japanese light. Since then, Paris has been the artist’s base, as he actively participated in a wide range of fields via the theme of light, from photography to sculpture, installations, and architecture. In 1977, the artist was placed into the global spotlight when his series “Fenêtre” (Window) was recognized with the Newcomer Prize at The Rencontres d’Arles, France, and was followed by numerous exhibitions hosted in Japan and Europe. Since then, Tahara has become the recipient of numerous prestigious awards such as the Ihei Kimura Award, the Niépce Prize and the French Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier grade), and the Grand Prix d’Art de la Ville de Paris. Tahara was also a branding consultant for world-renowned luxury brands, such as Cartier and Dom Perignon, for numerous advertisements and projects. In 2017, the world’s first-large scale exhibition of Photosynthesis, a series featuring the dancer, Min Tanaka was presented in “Keiichi Tahara: Photosynthesis 1978⁠–⁠1980” by the National Gallery in Prague.

 

(Sourced, translated, and edited from IMA Online：https://imaonline.jp/imapedia/keiichi-tahara/)

UPCOMINGEXHIBITIONS

Keiichi Tahara
田原 桂一

Keiichi Tahara was born in Kyoto, Japan.  Tahara began working as a photographer after his visit to France in 1971, where he was struck by the piercing intensity of the European light, which was completely new to him, and his experience with the soft Japanese light. Since then, Paris has been the artist’s base, as he actively participated in a wide range of fields via the theme of light, from photography to sculpture, installations, and architecture. In 1977, the artist was placed into the global spotlight when his series “Fenêtre” (Window) was recognized with the Newcomer Prize at The Rencontres d’Arles, France, and was followed by numerous exhibitions hosted in Japan and Europe. Since then, Tahara has become the recipient of numerous prestigious awards such as the Ihei Kimura Award, the Niépce Prize and the French Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier grade), and the Grand Prix d’Art de la Ville de Paris. Tahara was also a branding consultant for world-renowned luxury brands, such as Cartier and Dom Perignon, for numerous advertisements and projects. In 2017, the world’s first-large scale exhibition of Photosynthesis, a series featuring the dancer, Min Tanaka was presented in “Keiichi Tahara: Photosynthesis 1978⁠–⁠1980” by the National Gallery in Prague.

 

(Sourced, translated, and edited from IMA Online：https://imaonline.jp/imapedia/keiichi-tahara/)

Keiichi Tahara
田原 桂一

Keiichi Tahara was born in Kyoto, Japan.  Tahara began working as a photographer after his visit to France in 1971, where he was struck by the piercing intensity of the European light, which was completely new to him, and his experience with the soft Japanese light. Since then, Paris has been the artist’s base, as he actively participated in a wide range of fields via the theme of light, from photography to sculpture, installations, and architecture. In 1977, the artist was placed into the global spotlight when his series “Fenêtre” (Window) was recognized with the Newcomer Prize at The Rencontres d’Arles, France, and was followed by numerous exhibitions hosted in Japan and Europe. Since then, Tahara has become the recipient of numerous prestigious awards such as the Ihei Kimura Award, the Niépce Prize and the French Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier grade), and the Grand Prix d’Art de la Ville de Paris. Tahara was also a branding consultant for world-renowned luxury brands, such as Cartier and Dom Perignon, for numerous advertisements and projects. In 2017, the world’s first-large scale exhibition of Photosynthesis, a series featuring the dancer, Min Tanaka was presented in “Keiichi Tahara: Photosynthesis 1978⁠–⁠1980” by the National Gallery in Prague.

 

(Sourced, translated, and edited from IMA Online：https://imaonline.jp/imapedia/keiichi-tahara/)