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    Addictive Art: Hisae Imai

    Artist Blog by Minami Ivory

    I have many photographic artists that I admire but Hisae Imai still sits on top of the list. I purchased her photobook by chance in a bookshop in Japan in 2022, only because I saw a photo of eggs on the front cover. At the time, I was using a lot of eggs in my series “Counted, Graded, Numbered’. I know I should never judge a book by its cover, but it was more like a love at first sight and I have never looked back since.

    Hisae Imai was well known for her photographs of horses. After becoming blind temporarily due to a car accident in the 1960s, she got drawn to their beauty and dedicated her life to taking images of racehorses. However, it’s her early work that speaks to me the most.

    Imai was an unconventional and experimental photographer, regarded as a leading photographer in the avant-garde photography scene in Tokyo in the 1960’s. Her images were poetic, creating images based or inspired by literature including Ophelia. Her creativity and communication skills are exceptional, drawing the viewer into a different world instantly.

    The use of light is bold and the mirror is used to create the complex composition within her work. It’s a kind of work that takes a while to absorb completely. Imai uses staged photography, creating the intimacy between the photograph and the viewer. Some images are intense and I love the tension that she created in her images.

    Multi-exposure photography was also used in her work. In the series of work that she completed for the magazine cover, the shape and light are used in such a sophisticated manner and to do this harmoniously with bright colours is simply outstanding. Her images are so addictive; they’re so complex with so many layers I just want to understand more and I always go back to them. I want my images to be addictive like hers one day.

    References;Toda, M 2022, “Hisae Imai”, Akaaka Art Publishing, Inc, Kyoto

    Minami Ivory is part of »Guest Room: Aaron Stern« (https://dergreif.org/guest-room/aaron-stern).

    Check out her Artist Feature Weapon of Choice.

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    Minami Ivory

    Minami Ivory is a photographic artist based in Tasmania, Australia. Born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan, she moved to Australia at the age of fifteen. Her practice blends analogue and digital photography, incorporating paint, text, and collage to deepen meaning. Centered on issues affecting women in Japanese society, her work has been showcased in art prizes and photography festivals both nationally and internationally.