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"
The artist`s poetic utilization of cyanotype lends the work visual
mystery and nuance. Invented in the mid-1800s, cyanotype eventually gained
widespread use in the form of architectural blueprints. A master printer with
an international reputation, lzu achieves a wide range of velvety tones by adding one or two layers
of cyanotype to the watercolor paper on which he prints his negatives. The
results range from sapphire (invoking the shades used to depict tidal waves in ukiyo-e
woodblock prints of Izu's native Japan) to dark cobalt (reminiscent
of Yves Klein's signature blue) to a deep blue-black. For this exhibition, Izu
mounted the prints on aluminum, without glass, hung to protrude slightly from
the wall. The effect created a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, echoing the
physical and emotional exposure associated with nudity itself "
KENRO
IZU: STILL LIFES & SACRED PLACES
KENRO IZU:
STILL LIFES & SACRED PLACES featuring large-format platinum and
platinum/palladium prints by the master print maker Kenro Izu. This is the artist¡¯s first solo exhibition on
the West Coast. Izu¡¯s
Still Lifes are a continuation of his floral and female nude series. Using a
custom-built large-format camera, Izu makes negatives as large as 14 x 20 in.
in size and then contact prints them onto fine watercolor paper coated with
photosensitive emulsions. The rich tonalities and sensuous surface qualities of
the prints perfectly suit the subject matter. His still lifes are studies in
luminous, abstract form embedded in rich velvety darkness and nuanced by
multiple tones. They beg contemplation on the mysteries of form, time, and
space.
For
more than two decades, Izu has also photographed ancient stone monuments and
ruins across the globe. His latest Sacred Places are large-format platinum
prints of sacred sites in Indonesia,Laos,
Cambodia, Thailand,
Myanmar, Nepal, India,
Tibet, and China.
 The
artist uses an enormous camera and related equipment, weighing in excess of 300
pounds. For the optimum luminosity, Izu photographs in early mornings and
evenings; for the optimum vantage point, he frequently scouts out and travels
on horseback to almost inaccessible locations, sometimes at towering heights.
The results are stunningly breathtaking views of very special and very
spiritual sites.Kenro
Izu was born in Osaka, Japan in 1949. He began
photographing in High School and formally studied photography at Nippon University
of Art in Tokyo.
He located to the United
States in 1972 where he worked as a studio
assistant until opening his own studio in 1975. In 1979 he photographed the
pyramids and landscapes of Egypt,
and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts award in 1984 to continue
photographing Sacred Places. Since then, he has earned a reputation as one of
the finest printers of platinum prints in the world.
Concurrent
with his showing at Sarah Lee Artworks & Projects, Kenro Izu is having
one-person exhibits in both Paris and London. artist
information
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