Hino Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition entitled “Change Nothing” by Tadasu Yamamoto from Saturday, December 1st, 2018.

Tadasu Yamamoto is a photographer who was born in Kagawa Prefecture in 1950. He focused on water as his main subject for a long time and has also produced photographs based on the five elements (as listed in Japanese philosophy): “Earth” “Water” “Fire” “Wind” and “Void - Sky”. This time he will show a body of photographic works, which were taken in Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, mainly of a forest called “Hatcho Kaku” at the foot of Tatera Hill.

This ‘forest’, is an area that is regarded as a sacred place of sun worship. The custom developed in a unique way on this island and has been passed down locally over the generations. There is a hokora (a small shrine) dedicated to the god of the sun in the forest and Yamamoto said he felt a sense of venerable awe when he first went there. This part of the forest looked ancient yet lush, with extremely old trees and foliage that has never been trimmed, as for the longest time, this place was regarded as off-limits. It would be normal to hesitate to take photos at such a holy site yet Yamamoto daringly set up his camera and tried to listen to some silent voice from nowhere, rather than simply trying to photographically capture the majestic landscape.

One of the major works exhibited in this show is composed of twenty-seven photographs which are combined in vertical columns of three, and horizontal rows of nine. It was made using a process whereby the camera was fixed at a specific point for each shot and then rotated by 40 degrees for the next, until one complete revolution of 360 degrees was completed. This process was then repeated two more times with a new camera position. It captured images of bushes, which have seemingly existed quietly for centuries and a large decaying tree that has collapsed amongst countless numbers of fallen branches and leaves that are in the process of returning to soil, unequivocally showing the pattern of nature. In addition, the misalignments between the interlocking frames invoke a sense of discomfort within the image suggesting a discrepancy between what the forest is supposed to be, and what it may become after the heavy toll of inevitable, excessive human intervention. What the artist has tried to express in “Change Nothing” could be a wordless exclamation from nature, or perhaps the revelation of an indigenous god.

Yamamoto’s works will be showcased at Hino Gallery for the first time in 11 years. The exhibition title also suggests a sense of the artist’s determination and we hope you will enjoy the sincerity of Yamamoto’s art.