YOSUKE TAKEDA

In his practice, Yosuke Takeda investigates what is possible with the medium of photography. In his acclaimed ‘Digital Flare’ series, he captures the phenomenon of flares that appear when a digital camera is facing a strong light. Rather than a genuine subject captured by the camera’s system, a flare is something that emerges from the relationship between the subject and the system, the light that floods the interior of the camera frame. Describing the phenomenon generated by his process, Takeda says that it is ‘evidence of its means, and is a mark of its existence.’ He relativises the premise that in photography the subject exists outside the camera’s system, being something that is objectified, with its image captured by the camera. His practice, in which he takes as his subject ‘the complex relationship between the means (camera) and the purpose (subject),’ produces works that build on various types of experimentation conducted throughout the history of photography, as well as being beautiful, powerful, and intense.

Critic Minoru Shimizu stated the following about Takeda’s practice.

Takeda’s works ... are not merely conceptual. He walks endlessly to find locations for these images and waits for perfect light conditions. His photographs, which expose photographs for what they are, are entirely dependent on real-world conditions like geography and weather and are products of intense physical labor. Behind each of his images are hundreds of similar images which have been edited out. In this sense, they are primitive, like the photographs from photography’s early days. The difference is that today’s viewer, including Takeda, has knowledge of photographic history. His reticent images have a density that makes them hold up as large-scale prints; indeed, this density is what will make his work stand the test of time.

Minoru Shimizu ‘Stay gold, stay digital’

In his first solo exhibition with KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Takeda presents his new series ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ in which he focuses on condensed water drops as his subject. Works include an image that served as the starting point for the series, as well as images that were taken over a long period of time in a series of repeated attempts while adjusting various conditions, such as the type of camera or lens, the length of the exposure, and how the artist moved the camera. The new works selected from this huge trove of images contain light and texture of astonishingly diverse and rich contrast and colour.

The exhibition presents fifteen new works. At this time, we cordially invite you to attend Singin’ in the Rain at KOSAKU KANECHIKA.