Seen: That Bright Planet
Who: 水島貴大 Takahiro Mizushima / website / instagram
Where: Totem Pole Photo Gallery, Shinjuku
When: August 6 - 18, 2019 / Open 12:00-19:00 / (Closed Mondays)
With “That Bright Planet” Takahiro Mizushima has transformed Totem Pole into his own photo-made world. He’s broken out beyond the walls onto the floor- a sixteen minute slideshow of even more images are set up on a screen in the middle of the space.
Mizushima only shoots film- and this is his first show since switching from 35mm to a Pentax 645 and Kodak Ektar 100. This technical level-up enriches his already keen eye- the depth of the larger negative allows for even more odd details to be revealed.
His work might seem simple at first- but closer inspection gives way to hints and improbabilities that leave you scratching your head. His work is all about 出会い- encounters. Indeed, 99% of the people in his images are strangers he met and asked to photograph. The way the subjects demonstrate their acceptance of photographer in how they pose and present themselves tells a lot about the nature of the man behind the camera.