Kawauchi (1972) is known and beloved for her poetic, serene photographs of fleeting moments \u2013 the iridescent, gossamer-thin surface of a bubble, the petals of a flower backlit by a particularly beautiful ray of sunlight, a child running in joy. Her pictures are Earth-bound in their subject matter, but ethereal and otherworldly in their colour palette of sunlit pastels. Often carrying her camera, she reaches for it when she encounters \u201csomething fragile\u201d she feels compelled to capture. In a tour of the exhibition, she explains, \u201cWe can\u2019t stop life, we can\u2019t press pause, but photography can. Photography allows us to think about the past moments, to reflect.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Our Windows features a relatively small but exquisite selection of Kawauchi\u2019s photographs, some of which are traditionally framed and hung on the walls, some of which are printed on semi-translucent fabric and hung in the centre of Vague Arles\u2019 arched stone roof. How does she begin to select which images to include? \u201cI follow my intuition,\u201d she explains. \u201cI choose one picture \u2013\u00a0the first picture \u2013\u00a0and then that picture brings the next one. It\u2019s like solving a puzzle.\u201d I suggest this process of sequencing is like writing a story, without the necessity of a narrative but a pleasing interplay of shape and colour. \u201cYes, right,\u201d she agrees. \u201cLike making a patchwork.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The show pairs portraits of her daughter\u2019s early life with poetic texts, alongside Cui Cui, a slideshow of family photographs from 13 years. \u201cRevisiting these pictures, I notice things I\u2019d never seen before,\u201d she says. \u201cLike sometimes I recognise it was such a beautiful time. Or I feel I miss those days.\u201d Spending time among pictures of Kawauchi\u2019s family and watching her daughter change and grow in the slideshow, I can\u2019t help but tune into an ambient nostalgia permeating the work. Does photography serve to preserve and honour our memories? Or does it also induce and amplify our nostalgia?\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked by Kyotographie to suggest another photographer whom she would like to display her work alongside, Kawauchi chose Tokuko Ushioda (1940), a revered photographer who also turned her camera on the objects, landscapes and people around her. From Our Windows features pictures from two bodies of work by this prolific photographer, My Husband (1978-1985) and Ice Box (1981-ongoing).\u00a0<\/p>\n My Husband, as the title suggests, is a series of portraits of the artist\u2019s partner \u2013\u00a0photographer Shinz\u014d Shimao, who reappears throughout as a charismatic, smouldering presence. Ice Box (1981-ongoing) is a series of black-and-white portraits of refrigerators. What sounds like a mundane object we almost don\u2019t even notice in our own home is recast by Ushioda as a pivotal object. She says, \u201cI decided to show ice boxes because they are centred in our lives; it\u2019s common, really internationally \u2013\u00a0 we all eat. The contents of our fridge are very revealing. It provides so many clues as to how we live.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>
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Untitled, from the series as it is, 2020\u00a9\ufe0e Rinko Kawauchi<\/p>\n
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Tokuko Ushioda, from the series My Husband\u00a9Tokuko Ushioda, Courtesy PGI<\/p>\n