Shigeru Onishi, photography as a gesture

In the mid-1950s, a singular actor burst onto the scene of Japanese photography: Shigeru Onishi (Takahashi, 1928-1994). This topologist, graduated from the University of Hokkaidō, who wrote poetry, —and whose adolescence was developed enlightened by the philosophical classification of the universe that the study of the I Ching oracle contributed to him—, combined his study of Euclidean space with his artistic work. In the same way that he applied his complex mathematical theories to photography, he solved through his art many of the theoretical problems that he studied. Hence, his time in photography, as fleeting as it is surprising, would be defined by a very unorthodox methodology based on chance; "In the

possibility of existence

and in the

possibility of arbitrary choice

”, as described by the author in a text in which he reasoned the how and why of the realization of his images.

"If your photograph consists only of calculated elements, it will not differ, in essence, from the drawing of an equilateral triangle," he assured.

Photogallery: Shigeru Onishi, the photographer who wanted to transcend time and space

Composed of the imprecise figure of either a woman, an urban landscape, an interior or a tree, dotted with spots and vigorous brush strokes, Onishi's enigmatic solarizations and multiple exposures or photomontages give shape to a very unique and unique photographic discourse. poetic that impacts strongly and disturbs the viewer. The critic Tatsuo Fukushima, would describe them as "a warning to our domesticated soul" that "they teach to despise the despicable". They distanced its author from the rest of the movements and ideas prevalent in Japanese photography of his time. But despite the praise of various critics, in general his work would go unnoticed within the photographic community of his time. Barely two years had passed since his first exhibition at the Nabis Gallery in Tokyo,when the author abandoned photography for unknown reasons to dedicate himself to painting (which he would also suddenly abandon after eight years of dedication). His photographic work is now gathered in an exquisite monograph published by the Steidl publishing house,

Shigeru Onishi. A Metamathematical Proposition

and in an exhibition,

Shigeru Onishi, The Possibility of Existence

that can be seen until January 9 at the FOAM-Fotografiemuseum in Amsterdam. It is the first major solo exhibition of the Japanese mathematician to be held in Europe. Organized in collaboration with the MEM Gallery and Bombas Gens, the sample will be exhibited during the spring of 2022 in the Valencian art center complemented by the artist's pictorial work.

From his first steps in photography, as a member of the Sapporo Amateur Photography Club, Onishi sought to express his rich inner universe. Spurred on by his experimental eagerness, he challenged and disrupted any established photographic technique in the darkroom; used a brush or sponge to

paint

emulsified paper, with the intention of causing irregularities in the development process; acetic acid served to achieve a deliberate discoloration; the temperature varied between 8 and 80 degrees in pursuit of an alteration in color. Thus, in the same way that Informalist painters explored the expressive possibilities of painting as a matter in itself, through gestures and in an attempt to redefine what constitutes a pictorial work, Onishi “sought to alter the framework of photography modern ”, says Ryuichi Kaneko in a text that is included in the monograph. “Onishi's photography has a

performance

element

, it is presented as an act ”, clarifies Vicente Todolí, artistic director of Bombas Gens and curator of the exhibition. "He brings freedom to the photographic process, Attacking the negative, incorporates a gestural element that turned each of his images into unique pieces."

When in 1957, the critic Michel Tapié discovered the work of the Japanese author, he was already fully involved in painting. He painted abstract works made with ink. A genre known as

bokusho

. The critic's knowledge of mathematics would help awaken his fascination with the artist, whom he would describe as a loner "who practices Zen Buddhism by drinking sake" and quickly became part of the constellation of artists of

art autre

or informalism (a term coined by the French theorist) included in

Contemporary World Art

, an international exhibition held that same year at the Bridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo. This group show would be followed by others that took place in Europe and America. They gave the artist an international dimension. He would also participate in some of the exhibitions organized by the legendary Gutai collective, although he never became a member of the group. In 1969,

A Study of Meta-Infinte: Logic of Continuum (1) was published,

presenting Onishi's pictorial work accompanying his mathematical essays and with a foreword by Tapié.

It is "a difficult gem to find," says Todoli, who, fascinated by the Japanese author's work, has been behind the recovery of part of his pictorial production, which would remain abandoned and forgotten in museum warehouses after his death. It was not until the 2017 edition of Paris Photo that his photographs regained international attention after being presented by the Japanese gallery MEM. “Onishi's work complements the research of the Per Amor a l'Art Collection on an entire era and on a series of Japanese authors, as we could see in

The Look of Things. Japanese photography around Provoke

, says the commissioner.

"Onishi put photography to the test before the artists we exhibited at the time."

Thus, this monograph and this exhibition contribute to recovering this powerful work that illuminated the photography scene of the mid-twentieth century like a flash through rhythmic gestural variations.

'

Shigeru Onishi.

A Mathemathical Preposition '.

Steidl.

192 pages.

98 euros.

'

Shigeru Onishi.

The Possibility of Existence '.

FOAM-Fotografiemuseum.

Amsterdam.

Until January 9.

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