Lot 868
  • 868

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 HKD
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Description

  • Hiroshi Sugimoto
  • Aegean Sea, Pillion
  • gelatin silver print
signed and titled in English, dated 1990, numbered 4/25

Provenance

Galerie Ulrich Fiedler, Berlin
Private Asian Collection

Exhibited

Japan, Tokyo, Mori Art Museum; USA, Washington D.C., Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Hiroshi Sugimoto, 17 September, 2005 – 9 January, 2006; 16 February – 14 May, 2006, p. 121 (alternate edition exhibited)
Korea, Seoul, Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Hiroshi Sugimoto, 5 December 2013 – 23 March 2014, pp. 104-105 (alternate edition exhibited)

Condition

This work is generally in good condition. Please note it was not examined under ultraviolet light and out of its frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Early in his career, Sugimoto created two important series, Dioramas and Theatres respectively. The former focused on the aesthetics of the specimens from New York Natural History Museum. With extremely refined technical skill, Sugimoto not only breathes life into these taxidermy specimens, but also re-defines limit of photography. The latter would employ the cinemas as the main subject. For the series, Sugimoto would bring his camera into the cinema and expose his film for the duration of the movie on screen, condensing a two-hour moving image into a sea of white light. In these two series, we can see how Sugimoto is influenced by minimalism and conceptual art. An inquiry into life and history is also an eternal motif in Sugimoto’s work. The Seascapes series that followed is an important body of works in which the artist explores the origin of life. Since 1980, Sugimoto started bringing his large format camera around the world. In every photo, the horizon systematically divides the photo in half, capturing the presence of the vast ocean that has existed throughout history and ultimately till the end of time. It is as if Sugimoto has traveled through time and connected the viewer with historical traces. As he said himself, “A myth in a myth. The ocean before us is full of water and air. Every time I look into the sea, I feel calm and at peace, it is as if I have returned to my home and start a whole new visual journey.” The two works Rebun Island (Lot 867) and Aegean Sea (Lot 868) are representative pieces from the Seascape series, each highlighting a different aesthetic approach by the artist. In the former, the division between the sky and the ocean remain to be exceptionally clear, while in the latter, fog becomes the natural gradient, obscuring the audiences’ perception of the sea and sky. As exemplified by these two works, it is through the lens of Hiroshi Sugimoto where we see the origin of eternal life.