Major works from the Architectures, Seascapes and Pinetrees series, organized by Kunsthaus Bregenz. A co-operation between The Fruitmarket Gallery, widely recognised as Scotland's leading international contemporary art space, and Stills, the nation's pre-eminent resource and gallery centre for photographic and digital media. The Edinburgh International Festival event marks the inaugural production of large-format work by Sugimoto whose only tool is a wooden 19th century American box camera with constant settings
World-leading photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto receives the first major solo showcase of his
work in the UK this summer across two award-winning Scottish galleries, The Fruitmarket
Gallery and Stills, Edinburgh.
Opening Saturday 3 August, Hiroshi Sugimoto, The Architecture of Time is a co-operation
between The Fruitmarket Gallery, widely recognised as Scotland’s leading international
contemporary art space, and Stills, the nation’s pre-eminent resource and gallery centre for
photographic and digital media.
The Edinburgh International Festival event marks the inaugural production of large-format work
by Sugimoto whose only tool is a wooden 19th century American box camera with constant
settings. Only one copy of each silver gelatine print will be created for The Architecture of Time
and will not be seen again until an American retrospective of work touring the USA in 2003.
More than thirty works will be on display, from three key photographic series that continue to
direct the New-York based artist’s vision and consistently reflect his enormous tonal range and
themes of the co-existence of the corporal and spiritual, and the paradoxes of time.
Architectures (1997) and Pinetrees (2002), specifically realised for this exhibition, will be on
display at The Fruitmarket Gallery. Seascapes (1990) will be mounted at Stills, a two-minute
walk from The Fruitmarket Gallery.
Architectures (1997) comprises twenty-one silver gelatine prints, each 182 x 152cm and
depicts iconographic landmarks ranging from Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudi, 1998 and Asahi Breweries,
Philippe Starck, 1997 to Seagram Building, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1997 and Chapel of Notre-Dame-
Du-Haut, Le Corbusier, 1998.
Pinetrees (2002) comprises two magnificent silver gelatine prints, each 750 x 182 cm and in
six parts. The series is inspired by traditional Japanese ink painting, and particularly references
the work of 16th century painter Hasegawa Tohaku.
Seascapes (1990) features beguiling oceanic views taken in the last twelve years of the
twenty-two year series from locations around the globe including Aegean Sea, Pilon, 1990, Celtic
Sea, Boscastle, 1994 and Sea of Japan, Rebun Island, 1996.Technically defined by Sugimoto as ‘the
most difficult pieces,’ the works convey timelessness as the artist’s primary focus.
Hiroshi Sugimoto will attend the private vew of The Architecture of Time which will be opened
on 2 August by The Consulate-General of Japan, Mr Tsutomu Hiraoka.
About 35,000 visitors are expected to visit this monumental exhibition that has been organised
by the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, and follows Sugimoto’s receipt last year of the prestigious
Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography.
EXHIBITION PREVIEW
Friday 2nd August 6.00-8.00pm
ARTISTS’ TALK
Saturday 17 August, 2.00pm
The acclaimed artist Thomas Joshua Cooper will discuss the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto
All welcome admission free with exhibition ticket.
FESTIVAL EXTENDED HOURS
3 August 1 September 2002 Open daily Mon Sun 10am 7pm
EXHIBITION DETAILS
2 - 21 Sept 2002 Mon Sat 11am 5.30pm, Sun 12 5pm
ADMISSION £3.00 | £1.50 concession.Tickets are valid for one visit to each venue
The Fruitmarket Gallery was personally chosen by Sugimoto to chronicle his body of work for
the first time for British audiences. Graeme Murray, director of The Fruitmarket Gallery,
described the exhibition as a significant milestone in the life of the gallery programme.
"We are delighted and honoured to display works by an artist of the calibre of Hiroshi
Sugimoto. His work stands as a significant testament to the icons and internal spaces of 20th
century architecture and the unique exhibition format will resonate with a new power for
festival audiences."
Accompanying the works will be a comprehensive exhibition education guide, artists' talk and
exhibition hard-back catalogue priced at £25, representing the most substantial record of
Sugimoto’s work to date with texts provided by Thomas Kellein, Eckhard Schneider and Hiroshi
Sugimoto. During the exhibition, Stills will exhibit new works from Fairbridge Edinburgh and
Corstorphine Youth Centre produced in collaboration with artists Catriona Grant and Lindsay
Perth. A response to Sugimoto's Seascapes, Daytrippers, features humourous observations of
the Scottish seaside visitor and is part of Stills Youth Training Programme set up with Youthlink
Scotland.
Born in 1948, Hiroshi Sugimoto left Japan in 1970 to study Photography at the Art Center
College of Design in Los Angeles. In 1974, he moved to New York where he was influenced by
the minimal and conceptual movements around Carl André and Dan Flavin. Two years later, he
began to produce his six on-going series of works, Dioramas (1976- ), Theatres (1978),
Seascapes (1980), Wax Museums (1994), Sanjusangendo, Hall of Thirty-Three Bays (1995) and
Architectures (1997).
Sugimoto has exhibited widely over the last twenty years including solo shows at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; La Caixa, Madrid; the Kitakyushu Project Gallery, Japan
and the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin.
Stills is both an exhibition space, and education centre, exploring image processing with the
work of emerging and established artists, and offering The Richard Hough Resource, a digital
and photographic facility and meeting place for individuals and groups. Stills is the recipient of
the Chrisi Bailey Award 2000 (Photography and Digital Imaging with Young Children).
A previous winner of the Prudential Award
for the Arts (Visual Arts category), The
Fruitmarket Gallery’s mission is to bring
the work of international artists to
Scotland and exhibit Scottish artists in an
international context to engage with
contemporary issues.The gallery provides a
dynamic education and events programme
and runs a highly successful national and
international touring programme. The
gallery’s award-winning design by architect
Richard Murphy comprises two gallery
spaces, a bookshop and café.
PUBLICATION
Hiroshi Sugimoto, The Architecture of Time, pp120, hardbound, 38 colour ill, 290 x 320mm
The Fruitmarket Gallery in association with Kunsthaus Bregenz is pleased to present this new publication which
focuses on the three most recent work series by Hiroshi Sugimoto. For further exhibition information please contact: Annie Woodman Media and Marketing Manager The Fruitmarket Gallery 45 Market Street Edinburgh, EH1 1DF
Image: Hiroshi Sugimoto, Seagram Building, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1997