The first photo collection by Japanese photographer Risaku Suzuki.
The work is structured to begin with a small, lit match flame and culminate in the oldest fire festival in Japan, held at Kamoshira Shrine in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is an attempt to visualize the geographical movement and passage of time from the Imperial Palace (Tokyo) to Kumano, and finally to Shingu City, the artist's birthplace.
Suzuki, who began creating photographs in the late 1980s, won the 25th Kimura Ihei Photo Award in 2000 for "PILES OF TIME," which consists of "Osorezan," a collection of photographs of Osorezan in Aomori Prefecture, and "Izanami," a record of the festival at Hanafukushrine in Mie Prefecture.
In 2015, he held a solo exhibition, "Ritsuko Suzuki Photography Exhibition: Flow of Consciousness," at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (Hatsudai, Tokyo), and has since gained high acclaim both domestically and internationally.
The photographs in "KUMANO" appear, at first glance, to be snapshots of everyday scenes. However, they reveal the existence of a "realm" that has been transformed within human activity and memory, and embedded in layers of history. This book brings to light the time and memory hidden beneath the surface of the landscape, using the sacred site of Kumano as a medium.
[Title] KUMANO
[Publisher] Korinsha Publishing
[Publication Date] May 25, 1998 (First Edition, First Printing)
[Number of Pages] No page numbers
[Size] Approximately 25.9 x 33.4 x 1.0 cm, 0.73 kg
[Format] Softcover
[Title Reading] KUMANO
[Author(s), Editor(s), etc.] Ritsuko Suzuki / Author, David Moomann / Text, Masao Tsuji, Ryoichi Shiraishi / Art Direction
[Printing] Korinsha / Printing, Shin Nihon Seihon / Binding
[ISBN] 4-7713-0305-3 C0072
[Condition] Used [ 4 ] Fair to Below Average (edge damage, slight corner creases, spine fading, slight fading on all three edges due to age)
[Accessories] None
[Published in] None
[Related Exhibitions]
Risaku Suzuki (born 1964)
Born in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture.
I started creating photographs in the late 1980s.
In 1998, he published his first photo book, "KUMANO." In 2000, he won the 25th Kimura Ihei Photo Award for his photo book "PILES OF TIME," which consists of "Osorezan," a collection of photographs of Oshirezan in Aomori Prefecture, and "Izanami," a record of the festival at Hanafukushrine in Mie Prefecture.
After that, he released numerous series, including "Mont Sainte Victoire," "White," and "Étude."
He has developed a unique photographic expression, with the theme of the relationship between nature, light, and human consciousness.
In 2015, he held a large-scale solo exhibition, "Ritsuko Suzuki Photography Exhibition: The Flow of Consciousness," at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. He has also exhibited extensively overseas and has gained high international acclaim.
