Masahisa Fukase
Ravens
Masahisa Fukase burst onto the Japanese photography scene in the 1960s, challenging the conventions of the time and exploring emotional and personal themes in a society undergoing transformation. He combined artistic sensitivity with technical mastery, innovating in the dissemination of his work through magazines and photo books, which will also be featured in the exhibition.
His extensive series Ravens, 烏 (1975-1986) is a masterpiece that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries. In this work, Fukase explores solitude, melancholy, and obsession through a deeply personal journey. The black-and-white images of ravens capture the duality of life and death, resonating profoundly with the viewer.
The significance of Ravens lies in its ability to evoke emotions and existential reflections through Fukase’s inner search as an artist. By identifying with the ravens, he invites us to explore the human soul. Karasu has influenced generations of photographers, cementing Fukase as a pioneer of autobiographical photography.
We present this exhibition at Revela’t, after its previous display at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, in collaboration with PhotoEspaña and the Masahisa Fukase Archives.
Curated by Tomo Kosuga, director of the Masahisa Fukase Archives, and Lorenzo Torres, a researcher at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, this exhibition unveils the magic of an artist who delves into the essence of human experience in the face of loss, and how photography can serve as a means of coping with it.
Masahisa Fukase (Hokkaido, Japan)
He is considered one of the most radical and experimental photographers of the post-war generation in Japan. He gained worldwide fame with his photographic series and subsequent publication Karasu [Crows], internationally known as Ravens (1975-1985), widely celebrated as a masterpiece of photography. However, much of his work remained inaccessible for more than two decades. In 1992, a tragic fall left the artist with permanent brain damage, and only after his passing in 2012 did his archives gradually begin to be revealed. Since then, a significant amount of previously unseen material has emerged.
Fukase was born in the city of Bifuka, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1934, the son of a successful local studio photographer. He graduated from the Photography Department at the Nihon University College of Art in 1956 and became a freelance photographer in 1968, after brief periods at the Nippon Design Center and the publishing house Kawade Shobo Shinsha.
His work has been widely exhibited in institutions such as MoMA in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Additionally, his work is part of major collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Getty Museum.
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