Tomio Seike "NUDE" February 16 - April 11, 2009 Closed: Sunday and National Holiday, also March 21

Tomio Seike is a Japanese photographer based in UK, who has a reputation for his style of gentle and silent prints with atmosphere as well as beautiful prints with grace. Seike holds to uncompromising standards for his work and is far from prolific, only a few new work a year. Photograph collectors in Europe and America have loved his photographs since “Zoe”, the first series of work, was exhibited in UK in the middle of 1980’s. Lovers for Seike ‘s photographs are increasing year by year in Japan as well. He is also well known as a master photographer who takes advantage of characteristics of Leica lens.
The exhibition “NUDE” consists of two series of work; “TSIS Nude” photographed from 1988 to 1989 in Paris and “Nude, untitled” photographed in the 1990’s.

“TSIS Nude” is a series of photographs by Seike’s distinctive soft depiction. He captures classical appearance of a model like famous paintings quietly. He photographed one model for “TSIS Nude” as he did for the well-known work “Portrait of Zoe.” The female body is totally the theme of work even if her face appears in the photograph.

“Nude, untitled” captures some parts of female body. Photographing parts of body more partly like torso, these photographs evoke our imagination beyond photographic frame. All photographs were photographed under limited lights such as light through the window and room light, etc. Relief of body has come up by these lights and produces rich gradation. Beautiful tonal harmony softly blended into shallow in-focus to out-of-focus along with photographer’s sight. This is exactly the expression weaved by both depiction by lens and print work.

The 26 gelatin silver prints are shown at the exhibition.

--
Tomio Seike

Born in 1943 in Japan. Became an independent photographer, and moved to London, UK. After returned to Japan in 1974, active mainly in the field of editorial photographs. Devoted himself to art photography since his first exhibition of “Zoe” in UK in 1985. Since 1987 lives in Tokyo and Brighton (UK), and continues to produce excellent photographs.

One-person Exhibition: Many exhibitions including Hamilton’s Gallery (London, UK), Weston Gallery (Carmel, USA).

Public Collection: Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris, France), Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris, France), Museum of Fine Art Houston (Houston, USA), Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara, USA), Sir Elton John Collection, and others.