Michael Kenna‘s Japan floats in a world of black and white and a subtle range of grays; oscillating between day and night, milky dawns, muffled mists, dense and gentle dusks. The boundaries between water, earth and sky have dissapeared. There are no figures in the frames, yet the presence of mankind is visible in a boat ramp dropping to the sea and a torii leading to the shinto temple. ‘To a certain extent, my photographs must be a reflection of my personality’, declared the artist in 2005 in an interview published by Elegy magazine. In these islands that he explored from every angle, Kenna discovered the same ‘veneration of landscapes’ that exists in his native England. But in Japan, he shows what he feels. He has transcribed a palette os sensations and sentiments. ‘For me, the purpose of photography is not to represent the world. I prefer suggestion to description’. The internal silence, peace and harmony of these images create an external serenity.

Source: Air France Magazine, nº 177 – January, Page 134.