Hitoshi Fugo (b. 1947), KAMI 1, 2001, gelatin silver print, printed in 2022, 21 3/8 x 16 7/8 in (54.3 x 42.9 cm), edition of 10 plus 2 artist’s proofs, KAMI Series, titled, signed, and numbered on verso

Hitoshi Fugo: KAMI
Closing Saturday, June 1, 2024
24 East 64th Street, Third Floor, NYC

These are the last days to view MIYAKO YOSHINAGA’s final exhibition, Hitoshi Fugo: KAMI, before the gallery closes its location on Saturday, June 1st.

Japanese photographer Hitoshi Fugo (b. 1947)’s still-life studies explore a single subject’s nuanced multi-faceted expressions until the subject becomes detached from its category, meaning, or identity. He commits to an ongoing experimentation in dismantling these boundaries. This exhibition features one of his most ambitious yet long-silenced projects entitled KAMI. Paper in Japanese is kami, a homonym of god. The artist gave the title, KAMI, to this body of work, implying the absence of god in today’s destructive world.

In 2023, he attempted to document the end of that life cycle by burning the paper roll again on the shore, imagining its particles flying into the air like feathers peeling away. But this was not possible due to the weather. This series, in which he tried to capture the paper’s transformation by an irresistible external force, was shown only once in Japan in 2001 and has never been shown overseas until now. This exhibition includes 11 images from the series, two of which were photographed in 2023 of the same paper roll.

While the gallery will go nomadic and continue to work with their artists and clients in different capacities, be sure to visit their Upper East Side space and experience this captivating final show!

To learn more and view the works, click here.