b. 1953, United Kingdom

Michael Kenna Artworks

Michael Kenna's photographs show high-contrast landscapes shot at unusual hours, often with the exposure drawn out for ten hours at a time, depicting urban structures and nature devoid of occupants.

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Narratives of Place

While Kenna's photographs are devoid of colour, their pointed use of light and composition imbue eerie locations with a vitality of their own. A harbour captured from a distance or a line of trees can appear as universes drawn from a storybook scene.

Black-and-white gelatin silver prints like Maoi, Study 50, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (2001) or Circle of Stones, Easter Island (2000) show the landscapes of Easter Island with a hint of strangeness, either compressing the statues along a horizontal line, or capturing the scene slanted from afar.

Other photographs like Yuanyang, Study 1, Yunnan, China (2013) show smog descending on rice fields along sloping hills—atmospheric and stark, the effect of the long exposure time renders visible what lies beyond sight.

Beauty in Simplicity

Referencing the haiku as an analogy for his pictures, Kenna indicates that his photographs do not seek to describe but to suggest. Photographs shot in Japan show lone trees, gates, and bridges in atmospheric conditions, prompting viewers to locate beauty in simple compositions.

Amongst them, the thin hanging tree with sparse branches in Kussharo Lake Tree, Study 9 (2009) offers a silent lamentation on a hillside, while the tree in 'Philosopher's Tree, Study 1', Biei, Hokkaido, Japan (2004) stands tall and reflective on a sloping hill, submerged in a light veil of grey.

Form and Figure

Amongst Kenna's early influences are the British photographer Bill Brandt and Japan's landscapes. Throughout the years, Kenna has photographed almost the entire country, resulting in books like Hokkaido (2005) and Japan (2002).

The same juxtaposition of background and figure notable in Brandt's work can be found in photographs like 'Mina, Study 3, Japan', Rafu, Japan (2010), a monochrome silver gelatin print showing the back of a woman coiled beneath a horizontal shelf. Likewise, in 'Yayoi, Study 1', Rafu, Japan (2008), the partially naked body intercepted from the side is no more physical being than it is pure shape.

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Hill Edge Tree, Shibecha, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Hill Edge Tree, Shibecha, Hokkaido, Japan, 2007 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Snowfall Numakawa, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Snowfall Numakawa, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Blackstone Hill Tree, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Blackstone Hill Tree, Hokkaido, Japan, 2020 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Hyomon, Study 1, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Hyomon, Study 1, Hokkaido, Japan, 2020 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Nesting Colony, Bourgogne, France by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Nesting Colony, Bourgogne, France, 1997 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Setting Sun, Beijing, China by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Setting Sun, Beijing, China, 2008 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Daimyo Oak Forest, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Daimyo Oak Forest, Hokkaido, Japan, 2018 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Jura Forest, Dornach, Switzerland by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Jura Forest, Dornach, Switzerland, 1993 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Persimmon Tree, Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Persimmon Tree, Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy, 2015 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Morning Mists, Pyin U Lwin, Myanmar by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Morning Mists, Pyin U Lwin, Myanmar, 2019 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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Norway Spruce Tree, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna contemporary artwork photography
Michael Kenna Norway Spruce Tree, Hokkaido, Japan, 2020 Silver gelatin print
20 x 20 cm
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