Next Exhibition Vol. 150
浅井愼平 | Shimpei Asai
Reflection of my hands
05. 09. SAT. - 05. 24. SUN.
closed: 5.18, 5.19
Supported by Gallery SUGATA、Gallery Tosei
ステートメント
作家の夏目漱石は自らの文学論のなかで文学の方程式化を試みている。ぼくの記憶によればF＋f＝P。Fは書かれた世界、fはそれによって喚起された感情、Pは表現とよぶもの、すなわち文学。この単純な方程式は写真にとっても同じなのではないだろうか。つまり、対象であるFの存在だけではなく、fが生まれてはじめて作品とよべるということになるのだろう。
ぼくは、この本のために写真の不条理な羅列とイメージの衝突、あるいは調和をはかることを試みた。
この写真を並べ重ねていくというモンタージュは、とても創造的なものだった。そして、目の前にある風景や事物や人物などを「選択」し「抽出」してカメラにとじ込め、フィルムに「定着」させ、紙の上に「移行」させることはぼくの写真表現の重大なファクターだが、そのことをあらためて認識した。このコンセプトは、マルセル・デュシャンが小便器を泉と名づけて美術へ「移行」させた1917年のニューヨークでの「事件」にさかのぼるかもしれない。ぼくは、密かにアバンギャルドの復活を願ったのだ。
そして、ぼくのアバンギャルドは新しい精神と自由なこころのことである。
Statement：
The writer Natsume Sōseki once attempted to formulate literature as an equation in his own literary theory. As I recall it, the formula was F + f = P.
F represents the written world, f the emotions evoked by it, and P what we call expression—that is, literature itself. It seems to me that this simple equation applies equally to photography. In other words, it is only when f is generated, and not merely through the existence of F as an object, that a work can truly be called a work.
For this book, I attempted to orchestrate an absurd sequence of photographs and the collision—or, at times, the harmony—of images.
This process of arranging and layering photographs in montage was profoundly creative. Selecting and extracting scenes, objects, and people from the world before my eyes, enclosing them within the camera, fixing them onto film, and then transferring them onto paper has always been a crucial factor in my photographic expression. Through this project, I came to recognize that fact anew.
This concept may trace its origins back to the “incident” in New York in 1917, when Marcel Duchamp named a urinal Fountain and “transferred” it into the realm of art. In my own way, I secretly hoped for a revival of the avant-garde.
And my avant-garde is about a new spirit and a free mind.
プロフィール
早稲田大学在学中に映画作家を志してシナリオを書き、撮影所に通ったり、学園祭のパンフレットのカバーのために写真を撮ったことで、写真の面白さに気づく。グアム島の日常風景を写した「ストリート・フォトグラフ」「ビートルズ・東京」の写真集で独自の視点が注目され、デビュー。地球環境問題に強い関心を持ち、主として水辺や歴史的視野からの風景などを撮影し作品制作の傍ら、シンポジウム、テレビにも積極的に参加。写真表現の他に文芸、音楽、映画、工芸、音楽プロデューサーなど、さまざまな分野でも活躍。時代に新しい風を送り続けてきた。
Profile：
Shimpei Asai aspired to become a filmmaker in his university days. During this time he wrote screenplays, visited film studios, and first discovered the appeal of photography when he was asked to take a photograph for the cover of a university festival pamphlet.
He made his professional debut with the photobooks Street Photographs, depicting everyday scenes on the island of Guam, and The Beatles in Tokyo, works that attracted attention for their distinctive perspective. Deeply concerned with environmental issues, Asai has since focused much of his work on waterside landscapes and historically layered environments.
Alongside his photographic practice, he has actively participated in environmental symposia and television programmes. Beyond photography, Asai has also been involved in a wide range of creative fields—including literature, music, cinema, crafts, and music production—continuing to bring fresh perspectives to the cultural landscape of his time.
TALK EVENT
『Reflection of my hands』のオープニングトーク
登壇者：浅井愼平 × 渡部さとる（写真家）
開催日時：5月9日（土）11:30-13:00
会場：Gallery SUGATA
参加費：入場無料 定員：20名（事前予約制）