Nobuhiro Fukui has continued his creation in photography focusing on midnight cityscapes since 2004. Fukui’s cityscapes, photographed between midnight and 3 am usually on cloudy nights, wear inorganic, dim light that does not seem like midnight. The light is emitted by the city, reflected by clouds, and illuminating back the city itself. The images of artificial buildings with artificial lights should be familiar to us. Yet, these works are somewhat enigmatic.

Fukui also explores the installations that emphasize on framing, the basic element of photography. In his solo exhibition “Juxtaposition” at Tomio Koyama Gallery in 2008, he installed the works, each mounted on plexiglas, in a row touching each other, and also in different levels, suggesting that each space may be connected to each other, or that each piece of photography captures only a part. By doing so, Fukui evokes imagination for outside of the frames, the infinity. Fukui says, “I regard photography as some kind of virus.” He explores “departure from the institutionalized visual senses shaped by a large amount of images and information provide by mass media” using photography, and creates works that give “seeing” more richness and freedom.

Concept

This exhibition features around 10 works, including Fukui’s new series “undercurrent” as well as the series of night cityscape described above. “undercurrent” captures the asphalt roads also at midnight in the city. It corresponds with Fukui’s main theme; “visualizing and exploring things that are visible but invisible, existent but nonexistent”. The series also consonants with the recent endeavor of reconsideration of abstract photography.

About the Artist

Nobuhiro Fukui was born in Tokushima prefecture in 1972. From 2004-2005, he participated in a workshop lead by photographer Osamu Kanemura. He held a solo exhibition “There There” at Joachim Gallery, Berlin in 2006. _In 2007, he exhibited at "WONDER SEEDS 2007" and "Tokyo Painting: My Little Everyday Scenery", both at Tokyo Wondersite Shibuya. In 2008, Fukui was awarded Mention speciale du jury (jury distinction) of The BMW - Paris Photo Prize. In recent years, he has participated in a group Exhibition "NO MAN'S LAND", at the former Embassy of France in Tokyo in 2009, and "DOUBLE VISION", at Tokyo Wondersite Shibuya in 2010. It is his third solo exhibition at the Tomio Koyama Gallery since "Juxtaposition" in 2008 and “Asterism” in 2010.