Hiroshi Sugimoto

A poetic combination of science and art, Hiroshi Sugimoto’s most recent series pull together two very different collections of photographs, both equally haunting. It is Sugimoto’s "fascination with the relationship of photography to time" that inspired both series. Lightning Fields is a group of intelligent and well-researched photographs of lightning storms through which Sugimoto sought to "make an ally of my nemesis", after experiencing disappointing results when trying to capture the bolts. The result of the Japanese photographer’s scientific exploration is a striking contrast of the white electricity on the pitch-black background. In their simplicity these images pull the viewer in to examine every detail, right down to the smallest vein of electric current burned across the night sky. They bring to mind an array of obscure comparisons: x-rays, veins, dead trees in a winter landscape and planes in the night sky.

The corresponding series, Photogenic Drawing could not be more different. These images are based on negatives made by William Henry Fox Talbot 160 years ago. It is this, combined with the soft and ghostly prints Sugimoto has produced that make this series a somewhat frightening collection to view. In particular the portraits where the subjects are faceless and veiled, as if by the passing of time, are especially harrowing and stay with the viewer long after they have left the room. While it may initially seem slightly obscure to show these two series together, it undoubtedly works. The link between time and photography is explored and presented perfectly, with subtlety, intelligence and beauty.