Yūgen, Alin Barbir

You cannot call yourself a photography lover unless you have paid attention to Japanese photography, at a glimpse, at least. It is a genre of an impressive age. Unfortunately, its presence is hard to be perceived by the Western public today, while for those in the Balkan lands it would probably be non-existent. I consider it as the most complex and courageous photographic genre, which you may dislike, but you cannot ignore. However, despite a troubled past, it managed to reach perfection.

Hardly digestible for most Westerners, the depicted images have the ability to switch from grotesque to sublime in fractions of a second, making the transition almost invisible to the viewer. Criticism, poetry, radicalism, personal pursuits, spirituality, the darkness of carnal desire, all these elements lead the act of creation towards the central pillar of art - sincerity.

The distinctive style of Japanese photography has always gone against the trends and commercial aspects embraced by Western photography. It reached the perfection mentioned above and materializsd the creative gesture in photo albums – true works of art – by following a ritual process meant to keep unaltered the yesterday's moment.

This introduction, as well as the chosen title, contains almost all the elements necessary to decode the message of this project. The photographs taken in black and white or colour have an aesthetic that could lead the imagination of the experienced viewer to the Nippon realms. They are also intended to maintain the necessary balance between worldly and spiritual things.

A visual poem dedicated to Japanese philosophy and photography, born of angst and sleepless nights, when the soul projects its fantasies. A poem that brings me closer to that mono no aware (物 の 哀 れ) - sensitivity to ephemeral.

Published by PhotoRomania
Edition of 100
Hardcover
70 pages
190 x 290 mm 
ISBN 9789730363302