In 1953, Kansuke Yamamoto wrote: "The surreal exists within the real. Tireless experimentation with new photography leads to the creation of a new beauty."
Just what Yamamoto (1914-87), one of Japan's most devoted experimental artists, meant by this will come clearer to anyone visiting "Yamamoto Kansuke: Conveyor of the Impossible," an exhibition that goes beyond its subject's photography to demonstrate the breadth and depth of his remarkable talents.
In the 350-page bilingual catalog for the show (at Tokyo Station Gallery from next week) co-curator John Solt contributes an essay titled "Perception Misperception Nonperception." His far-ranging analysis (with translations of Yamamoto's poetry), is indicated by its chapter headings: "Surrealism in France and Japan"; "Japanese Surrealists and Western Noh Actors"; "Kansuke's Techniques and Contributions," to name a few.
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