The etymology of gatmosphereh is the ancient
Greek words for vapor (atmos) and sphere (sphaira). Once I learned
this, the air that filled Camargue and the steam from the steel factory
seemed to fuse into one before my eyes. It no longer felt strange
to see signs of humanity in the sky and the land, nor to sense Nature
in the cloud of steam from the factory. And I began to feel that it
would no longer be possible to draw a clear line at the border between
nature and the artificial.
-Naoya Hatakeyama*
Taka Ishii Gallery is pleased to announce our upcoming exhibition
Atmos featuring new works by artist Naoya Hatakeyama. Atmos was initially
commissioned for exhibition at the annual photo-festival Recontres
df Arles, Arles, France. Photographed in Camargue, France, the series
is comprised of images of the local natural landscape as well as steelworks
from the surrounding area. Atmos proposes a more complex relationship
between nature and artifice than straightforward contrast. Lavender
steam, ethereal vapor and billowing clouds rise from within the interior
of the factories suggesting an alchemical process in which natural
material is transformed | becoming more suitable for human use. The
quiet landscape of Camargue, maintains its natural appearance through
conservation, the majority of the land set aside as a natural preserve.
Atmos is the artistfs second solo exhibition with Taka Ishii Gallery.
Hatakeyama will take part in the upcoming Mori Art Museum exhibition
Roppongi Crossing, in February, 2004.
*Quote from the forthcoming publication Atmos, Nazraeli Press.
A preview copy of Atmos will be on view at the gallery throughout
the exhibition.
Taka Ishii Gallery 1-31-6-1F Shinkawa, Chuo-ku Tokyo 104|0033
tel : 03-5542-3615@ fax : 03-3552-3363
e-mail: tig@takaishiigallery.com
website: www.takaishiigallery.com |