© Kikuji Kawada, The Last Total Eclipse of Sun in the 20th Century, 1999
Expositions du 1/12/2014 au 23/1/2015 Terminé
Michael Hoppen Gallery 3 Jubilee Place SW3 3TD London Royaume-Uni
The Michael Hoppen Gallery is proud to announce the first solo UK exhibition of Kikuji Kawada’s ‘The Last Cosmology’ series. Originally published in parts in the 1980s, it was compiled into a publication and solo exhibition in 1995. Part of Kawada’s "Catastrophe Trilogy," the chronicle seemingly ties together the dramas of the skies with the end of two historical eras on earth: the ‘Showa’ era with the death of the Emperor in Japan and the 20th century.Michael Hoppen Gallery 3 Jubilee Place SW3 3TD London Royaume-Uni
© Kikuji kawada, The Last Golden Ring Eclipse in Japan, Yomitanson, Okinawa, 1987
Before modern science, people presumed there was a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events of the human world. The ‘Last Cosmology’ reveals a fleeting empathy for this ancient astrology and a fascination with the firmament. Inspired by the apocalyptic sky-scapes of the painter Emil Nolde, Kawada became preoccupied with photographing abnormal and catastrophic weather. In his own words: “It is then that I imagine the era and myself as an implicitly intermingling catastrophe and I want to spy on the depths of a multihued heart that is like a Karman vortex”.
From November 2014, Kawada’s best known project ‘The Map’, will be shown at Tate Modern, as part of their ‘Conflict, Time, Photography’ exhibition. Originally published in 1965, the series documents the aftermath of the atomic bomb and the war in Japan (beyond meaning, invisible violence, widespread destruction and human loss). At first glance ‘Last Cosmology’ and ‘The Map’ are inherently different bodies of work. ‘The Map’ concentrates on surface, the stains burnt into the ceiling of the Hiroshima a-bomb dome and the detritus of occupation; while ‘Last Cosmology’ looks to the extra-terrestrial as a cypher for earthly events. Both books however share a narrative that is both personal and universal. Although rooted in the Japanese experience, they are essays on the human condition.
© Kikuji Kawada, Helio-Spot and a Helicopter, Tokyo, 1990
© Kikuji Kawada, The Sunset, 1992