Seen: Seto Masato: Maps of Memory
Who: Masato Seto
Where: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
When: Dec. 1, 2020—Jan. 24, 2021
This was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while at TOP- it’s a look at Masato Seto’s photographic history, with room after room of simply incredible work hung on the museum’s walls.
These series, while each visually different, ranging from 6x6 street photographs 1980s Bangkok to couples in Tokyo parks in the early 2000s- are unified in their extraordinary technical execution- but, more importantly, by the way they demonstrate Seto’s belief that a straightforward and open approach offers the clearest path to seeing. With familial roots in Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan, Seto possesses a different angle on identity in Japan- something he has used as a point of reference when working.
For his Living Room, Tokyo [1989-1994]series, Seto visited apartments of immigrants in Tokyo with an 8x10 view camera, working with his subjects to create posed yet fascinating and highly detailed photographs of their living spaces. The experience of being surrounded by prints enlarged to the size of life is amazing– viewers are able to inspect the insides of these private rooms in exquisite detail thanks to the 8x10 negative.
Speaking of cameras- Seto began his Picnic [1995-2003] series by approaching couples in parks with a standard 35mm SLR for portraits but found that it was only after he started using a large 4x5 camera (complete with black cloth) that couples allowed him to take their photos. Shooting with a 4x5 is a spectacle and, to the average person, “looks” official, or perhaps “special”. I absolutely believe that the camera informs how any photograph works out to be- Imagine a man approaching you in the park asking for a photo with their 4x5 view camera. Now, imagine the same situation with an iPhone. (Personally, I’d feel more comfortable with the 4x5. )
Seto is a fascinating, unique individual, for further information I recommend checking out TOP’s page for the exhibition, here.