Events

Presence or Absence: The Photographs of Tokihiro Sato

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Emily Harper Beard: (615) 744-3331, ebeard@fristcenter.org
Ellen Jones Pryor: (615) 243-1311, epryor@fristcenter.org, ejpryor@aol.com

NOTE: High resolution images available

WORK OF CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURED IN GORDON CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS PROJECT GALLERY

Presence or Absence: The Photographs of Tokihiro Sato
Opens June 18, 2010


NASHVILLE, TENN – (April 20, 2010) – The Frist Center for the Visual Arts’ Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery will feature Presence or Absence: The Photographs of Tokihiro Sato, an exhibition of 13 landscape photographs by one of Japan’s most acclaimed and best-known contemporary artists, June 18–September 12, 2010.

Originally trained as a sculptor, Sato first used photography when he had the idea of tracing light tracks next to one of his wire sculptures and capturing them with a camera. This experiment, in which he created light “trails” with a small pencil torch, led Sato to the discovery that he could express himself through sculpture using photography as his medium to fuse light and space.

Sato uses traditional technology in untraditional ways. His photographs can take up to three hours to make as he moves across the landscape with mirrors and lights to create ultra-long exposures using a large-format, 8 x 10 camera set on a tripod.

As the images are being captured, the artist moves or walks into the scene within the camera’s view and begins “drawing with light” to explore ways of altering the viewers’ perceptions of time, space and movement. For nocturnal views, he uses a small flashlight.

For daylight scenes, he employs mirrors to reflect the sun back to the camera lens. Because long exposures do not capture movement, Sato’s presence is only marked by the spots and lines of light he directs towards the camera rather than any image of his physical body.

“While he is most concerned with defining space in terms of light and the performance of his body,” says chief curator Mark Scala, “it is the effect of this performance that leaves an indelible trace on both the film and the mind’s eye. Sato’s patterns of illumination imply mysterious circumstances played out against backdrops of empty seascapes, deep forests, and dynamic cities. As haunting reflections on the dematerialization of humanity, the images offer a range of associations, from the sublimity of nature and the spirit world to the deep terror of the void.”

In addition to his signature moving light works, the exhibition will also offer a number of Sato’s still nature shots and camera obscura urban images.

Through his photographs, Sato creates a poetic, lyrical world. Perfectly still and deep, each piece presents a scene of light that seems to breathe and only exist in a dream.

Related Public Programs:
ARTini:
Friday, August 20
7:00 p.m.
Presence or Absence: The Photographs of Tokihiro Sato
Meet at the information desk
Free with purchase of gallery admission

Join Lori Anne Parker, editor at the Frist Center, as she leads an informal conversation about one or two works of art in this exhibition. Complete your evening by relaxing in the Grand Lobby with beverages from the café, including special ARTini cocktails, and visiting with friends.

ARTini:
Tuesday, August 24
12:00 p.m.
Presence or Absence: The Photographs of Tokihiro Sato
Meet at the information desk
Free with purchase of gallery admission

Take a break from your day and join Lori Anne Parker, editor at the Frist Center at the Frist Center, as she leads an informal conversation about one or two works of art in this exhibition. Complete your visit with stop in the café or gift shop.

Exhibition Credits:
The 2010 Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery Exhibition Sponsor is Welling LaGrone and Morgan Keegan.
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is supported in part by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. The Frist Center’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery features interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Gallery admission to the Frist Center is free for visitors 18 and younger and to Frist Center members. Beginning Jan. 2, 2010, Frist Center admission is $10.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors and military, and college students with ID. Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of 2010 Frist Fridays), 5:00–9:00 p.m., admission is free for college students with a valid college ID. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling (615) 744-3246. The Frist Center is open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Sundays, 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the café opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling (615) 244-3340 or by visiting our Web site at www.fristcenter.org