© Eikoh Hosoe
KAHMANN Gallery Lindengracht 35 1015KB Amsterdam Pays-Bas
Eikoh Hosoe (Japan, 1933) is undoubtedly among the most important masters of photography since World War II. He is known for his psychologically charged images, often exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession and irrationality.
Kahmann Gallery is proud to present a retrospective of 25 beautiful black and white silver prints. Hosoe graduated from The Tokyo College of Photography in 1951 and had his first exhibit in 1956, a one-man show. Since then, for almost half a century, he has produced epoch-making works and has established himself as an internationally acclaimed photographer. He abandoned a documentary style for bold images utilizing mythology, metaphor and theatrical impulses.
"To me photography can be simultaneously both a record and a mirror orwindow of self-expression..." Eikoh Hosoe.
Hosoe’s work pushes the boundaries of traditional photography by integrating dance and theatre into photographic essays that are located in the area between reality and fiction. His interactions with the novelist Yukio Mishima and the founder of Butoh dance, Tatsumi Hijikata, formed the basis for two of his most celebrated series of works, respectively Barakei (Ordeal by Roses, 1963) and Kamaitachi (1965–1968).