Yasumichi Morita Art Works

In October 2023, Yasumichi Morita will present “Éloge de l’ombre (In Praise of Shadows)｜Ise Jingu”, his fifth photo exhibition in Paris.
Ise Jingu has a deep connection with the birth of Japan and is home to a unique aesthetic sense, tradition and culture.
We hope you will enjoy the art works created by Yasumichi Morita from his unique point of view.
　

■About the Photo Exhibition
The Ise Jingu is unique in the world in its culture of renewing the main sanctuary, divine treasures, and everything else taking every twenty years in what is called “Shikinen Sengu” while keeping the ancient techniques intact. The materials from the old main sanctuary that were rebuilt during the shrine relocation will be reused at shrines throughout Japan, and the planned planting of trees is also a symbol of coexistence with the natural environment.

It is no exaggeration to say that Ise Jingu, which is considered the cornerstone of Japan, is a place where historical cultural heritage is concentrated and a center of culture, art, science, and international exchange where many people gather.
Yasumichi Morita continues his creative activities as an opportunity to transmit Japanese culture, creativity and sensibility to Japan, the rest of the world and more to the next generation through his lifelong activities as an artist.

In this exhibition, he will present his expressions through the daily morning and evening Grand Offering Ceremony, the rituals performed at the Jingu and architecture of the Naiku and Geku, the Shinto priests, the rituals, and the people involved in them through Yasumichi Morita’s own filter.
　

■About the Art Works
It is said that 1500 Shinto rites are carried out each year at the shrines of Ise Jingu. Rice is offered, salt carefully shaped, and blessings of land and sea presented to the gods. These day-to-day rituals, unchanged over 2000 years, hold mysteries of Japanese beauty and virtue; secrets the photographs of Yasumichi Morita unravel and reveal. Morita’s eye is caught by rice husks scattered over earth, exquisite motions of the Shinto-priests, and minute features of the buildings. The layering of these minimalist fragments brings out the centuries of time accumulated within Ise Jingu. “The details no one sees are what I want to shoot,” he says. The time he communed face-to-face with Japanese beauty, while savoring the luxury of capturing the “everyday” that has been repeated over and over again, has become Morita’s lifework. Late at night, on the deserted white-pebbled-covered grounds of this sacred place, what is it that Morita sees?

Yasumichi Morita Photo Art Works 2023
“Éloge de l’ombre (In Praise of Shadows) | Ise Jingu”
Dates: 18 – 22 October 2023
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 19:00 (The first and last day close at 17: 00)
Opening Reception: 19 October 2023
Reception Hours: 17:00 – 20:00
Venue: Hôtel de l’Industrie
Address: 4 Place Saint Germain-des-Prés, 75006 Paris, France
* Admission free, open throughout the duration of the exhibition, no reservations required.
* We decline flower arrangements, etc. due to the convenience of the venue.

Yasumichi Morita Photo Exhibition “In Praise of Shadows – Château de Versailles” will be held at CHANEL NEXUS HALL, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan from 27 September to 5 November 2023, organized by Chanel K.K.
　

■About the Photo Exhibition
The Château de Versailles is one of the most well-known palaces in the world. It was built in 1682 by Louis XIV, the then King of France. As the residence of the French Royal Family until the French Revolution in the 18th century, during the reign of Louis XVI, the Château played host to an elegant court culture. Over the four centuries leading up until the present day, the Château de Versailles has occupied a special place both in history and in the public imagination, with its beauty inspiring numerous artists and creators.

Yasumichi Morita has been a regular visitor to the Château de Versailles over several years, capturing in his monochrome photographs the genius of the Château’s baroque architecture bathed in dazzling golden sunlight, while paying particular attention to the subtle differences produced by the light as it varies over the four seasons. This exhibition showcases the diverse expressions of the Château de Versailles, as captured by Morita’s unique sense of aesthetics. With around 100 works, the exhibition presents the beauty of the Château as a study in contrasts, between light and shadow, between the visible and the hidden, between the above ground and the underground.

The Château de Versailles, with its intricate and layered details, repainted with each new king to show off its power. Morita continued to pursue a design that became more minimalist with each passing era. He carefully cut away the traces of the château’s enormous wealth by going behind the scenes where it was not normally possible to go, such as the cisterns beneath the fountains that symbolized luxury, and the wooden structure hidden beneath the majestic opera house that Marie Antoinette loved so much.

This collection of photographs, which were all taken under natural illumination (except those taken long after sundown), capture the lives of the past in the shadows formed by the constantly changing light. On the occasion of this exhibition, which is entitled “In Praise of Shadows – Château de Versailles”, Morita writes “No venue is more appropriate than the Château de Versailles as a means of illustrating the light and shadow that accompany our lives, irrespective of the era”.
　

Yasumichi Morita Photo Exhibition
“In Praise of Shadows – Château de Versailles”
Dates: 27 September – 5 November 2023
Opening Hours: 11:00 – 19:00 (last admission 18:30)
* 27 September only 11:00-18:00 (last admission 17:30)
Venue: CHANEL NEXUS HALL
Address: CHANEL Ginza Building 4F, 3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Organizer: Chanel K.K
Collaboration: Château de Versailles
* Admission free, open throughout the duration of the exhibition, no reservations required.
* We decline flower arrangements, etc. due to the convenience of the venue.
https://nexushall.chanel.com/en/program/2023/versailles/

2020.12.11-2020.12.24
Venue: SCÈNE

Open：12:00 – 7:00p.m. ※Appointment only
Closed：Sunday, Monday, National holidays
Appointment: exhibition@scenetokyo.com

Ripple Square D-B1, 3-15-6, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Please wear a face mask, check your body temperature and use hand sanitizer before entering the gallery.

2018.11.8-2018.11.11
Grand Palais
Taka Ishii Gallery (Booth Space: B22)
Avenue Winston-Churchill 75008 PARIS, FRANCE
http://www.parisphoto.com/en/Home/

2018.11.7-2018.11.10
Galerie-Musée Baccarat, The Ballroom “Salle de Bal”
11 place des Etats-Unis 75116 PARIS, FRANCE
https://www.baccarat.fr/fr/musees/

2018.1.20-2018.4.5
Leica Gallery Kyoto
2F, 570-120 Minamigawa, Gioncho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan
https://jp.leica-camera.com/

2018.1.19-2018.4.7
Leica Gallery Tokyo
Leica Professional Store Toky
2F 6-4-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
https://jp.leica-camera.com/

2017.12.27-2018.3.26
AMPLE GALLERY
SUGALABO, 1-11-10 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
http://hiromiyoshii.com/archives/1514

2017.10.19-2017.11.11
Galerie Yoshii
8 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris, France
http://www.galerie-yoshii.com/links.php

2017.10.19-2017.11.12
Galerie Corrazza 1787
11-12 Galerie Montpensier 75001 Paris, France (Jardin du Palais Royal)
https://www.facebook.com/galeriecorrazza1787/

2017.3.13-2017.4.12
champagne bar & art gallery shu!
1F Sunannex, 3-8-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
https://www.facebook.com/Shu-champagnebarartgallery-336498993398451/

2016.11.18-2016.11.20
Kayabacho Kyodo Bldg.
1-6-12 Kayabacho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
http://www.artphototokyo.com

2016.11.10-2016.11.13
Grand Palais
3 Avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008 Paris, France
http://www.parisphoto.com/paris

2016.11.10-2016.11.13
Patrick Roger Saint-Sulpice
2-4, Place St Sulpice 75006 Paris, France

2016.10.14-2016.10.27
SCÈNE
B1 ripple square D, 3-15-6 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
http://www.scenetokyo.com/

2016.9.30-2016.10.2
HILLSIDE FORUM
18-8 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
http://fapa.jp/fair-2016/

2015.11.12-2015.11.15