The wonderfully amusing compositions of fumiko imano, who most commonly works with a 35mm film camera, include a series of photomontages that have been manually spliced together. By cutting and pasting candid self-portraits, the artist manifests an imaginary yet life-like twin. Encapsulating an innocent and nostalgic charm in a manner reminiscent of snapshots taken on a family trip, imanoʼs self-portraits elicit an instinctive smile from their viewers. At the same time, the distinct demarcation imposed by the scissor between the two photographs reveals the fictitious nature of the image. Against the backdrop of a highly digitised world enabling the precise synthesis of digital images, the intentionally simple , handmade quality of imanoʼs works eloquently communicates a playfulness to its viewers.
Read MoreBorn in Japan in 1974, fumiko imano lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from the age of two to eight. She studied fine arts at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in the U.K., and later fashion styling and photography at the London College of Fashion, returning to Japan in 2002. She is currently based in Tokyo. imanoʼs works have been exhibited in numerous locations throughout the world, and she has published her work worldwide, including the photography book We Oui! (Little Big Man Books, 2017). imano is also active in the fashion industry, working on collaborations with LOEWE beginning with their 2018 Spring/Summer look-book.
Text courtesy KOSAKU KANECHIKA.
