Hiroshi Sugimoto in conversation with Ralph Rugoff | Hayward Gallery

TL;DR

Artist and photographer discusses the inspiration behind his works, from dioramas to seascapes, influenced by art, science, and music.

Transcript

good hopefully that's good um good evening everyone U welcome to the Hayward Gallery um I'm Ralph rugoff I'm the director of the gallery and of course I'm here with the artists we're showing in the Hayward right now Hoshi sugamoto uh it's a great pleasure to have you here tonight sugan uh and to have this talk in this unusually intimate setting in ... Read More

Key Insights

• ⁉️ Photography as a means of capturing the surreal and questioning the concept of reality.
• 🥰 Exploration of the intersection between art, science, and personal history in shaping artistic vision.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the artist's early diorama encounters inspire his photography?

The dioramas symbolized the artist's view of a world devoid of vitality, driving him to make lifeless scenes seem alive to challenge his perception of reality.

Q: How did the artist's interest in black and white film photography stem from his training at Art Center College?

The artist's inspiration from Ansel Adams pushed him to master the craftsmanship of black and white film photography, focusing on tonality and quality to enhance the realism of his diorama subjects.

Q: What role did color photography trends play in the artist's decision to focus on black and white photography?

By embracing black and white film, the artist aimed to highlight tonal qualities that brought believability to dioramas, contrasting the perceived fakeness of colors and the reality black and white represents.

Q: How did the artist's engagement with optical art and photo dioramas contribute to his unique artistic vision?

By adopting an approach of stealing images from the world and recontextualizing them, the artist creates visual narratives that transport viewers to a fantasy world through the convergence of art and science.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Artist delves into the origins of his unique photographic works, drawing inspiration from dioramas that evoke life's precariousness.

• Discussion on how photography captures the dead, delving into the philosophical aspects of photography and artistic expression.

• Reveal of artistic influences like Marcel Duchamp, exploration of optical art, and musical inspiration behind the seascapes series.