Student Art Exhibit Gives a Glimpse of Japan

by Kari Wethington

Completed over Winter Term (but not a Winter Term “project,” mind you), junior Tei Blow’s art exhibit, “potogahi”, analyzes his own experience in Japan. The pieces examine the complexities of modern Japan with its often abrasive union of traditional and Western-influenced culture. The show, which opens Friday in Fisher Hall, will present 12 color photographic images and is held in conjunction with cocoon:cocoonist::, junior Luke Fasano’s exhibit . 
In simple terms, Blow explained, “This show is the first of a series of shows about my experience in Japan this Winter Term, modeled after the discovery of photography in 
Japan.” This show is not, however, a cultural study; Blow is not attempting to make essentialist claims about Japanese culture. He is careful not to claim that the images he presents us are of a completely fresh style or that they provoke unasked questions. Regardless, “potogahi” provides an insightful look into the relationships between tradition and modernity, emotion and art.
The exhibit is divided into three parts, each a series of related photographs taken by Blow in Japan. The first examines the development of an aunt’s worsening health condition. Blow’s family members appear to be posed in a fashion reminiscent of traditional Japanese plays, where emotion is portrayed subtly, if at all. Similarly, in this series of portraits, family members stand at the forefront of a scene with his aunt in the background. The scenes are inescapably melancholy, but become more complex when presented in a manner that is emotionally elusive. 
The second series introduces scenes from Japanese subways (though one is an airport). Figures, some blurry, some in sharp focus, stand about waiting for the arrival of the trains — a seemingly typical, safe and mundane scene. Intruding upon these images are “punctures” that Blow made with the help of a lighter held to the film’s surface. In print, the punctures resemble irregular, fire-edged wounds, infracting the surface of the otherwise secure environment of the subway. 
These punctures are wounds to the presumed safety of Japanese culture. They call to mind recent subway bombings in Japan, and question the idea of the country as an isolated, secure and peaceful island-nation. 
Where Japanese text is present in these photos, it is reversed. Blow shows the images not as they would normally appear in a photograph (from the viewer or photographer’s perspective), but imagines that the print is the scene or object it represents. This notion recalls Japan’s introduction to photography, which like the rest of the world’s, was through the daguerreotype.
The third section in “potogahi” is a re-interpretation of the landscape. In one image we see a couple standing in front of a traditional Japanese temple which is covered on one side by a blue plastic tarp. In another image we see the couple walking down the street leading away from the temple. The street, though it shows its age, is obviously influenced by the modern world of Western commerce, most visible in things like the giant ice cream cone sculpture that flanks the street. 

The striking contrast between old and new prompts the viewer to question the social context which allows it. Has there been a degradation of old, traditional Japanese values, to the point that this once sacred act of paying respect to a temple has now become something more like a leisurely, meaningless stroll through town? 
Along with Blow’s exhibit is Fasano’s opening of cocoon:cocoonist::, a collection of Iris prints. Fasano said that his prints are based on, “an exploration of spatial relationships and depth in a two-dimensional environment. The works are also a means of delving into the possibilities of Iris as one of only a few digital, archival output processes existing at this time.”
“potogahi” and cocoon:cocoonist:: are in Fisher Hall from Friday through Wednesday. Friday at 8 p.m. there will be a reception with refreshments.