ARTIST INTERVIEW

An exclusive interview with photographer Hori Kiyohide.
"Premonitions flow without stagnation."
Kiyohide Hori Solo Exhibition “Free again” <May 25, 2024 (Sat) – June 3, 2024 (Mon)>

In the exhibition "Free again" by photographer Kiyohide Hori, in addition to photographic works such as silver halide prints, there are also three-dimensional works that combine photographs with disassembled everyday items such as notebooks and electrical appliances that have not been used for a long time. These are works that Hori has been so engrossed in creating that he says, "I realized that I was making them all day long." We asked him about his current creative endeavors, which he is working on freely without being bound by anything.

- You've said that all your photographs are self-portraits. Is that something you learned from Yousaf Karsh?

It's completely different. I've had Karsh photograph me before, and he would scold me harshly during the shoot. But on the other hand, he would praise my individuality and hug me, and get into the subject completely. When I found out that he had poured that same energy into everyone, including John F. Kennedy, Helen Keller, and even unknown people, I thought I could never do it.

I had high aspirations and tried to master the skills of a photographer like Karsh, but I felt that it would be impossible to reach that level. Around that time, I started going to a friend's vacation home in the suburbs of Manhattan almost every week, and while visiting a location on the way, a clear image came to me like a revelation.

British photographer Cecil Beaton has a work in which models are likened to marionettes. I had the original print of that work, and even before I got it, I had the same idea. I thought it would be interesting to photograph people as marionettes and the landscape as a stage, and it connected with what I had seen and thought.

Instead of creating a story first, I moved around with the intention of shooting in mind, and when I came across a place that resonated with my emotions, the images of the people there came to mind. I realized that I just needed to shoot that, and I was able to say goodbye to Karsh's style.

Therefore, my portraits do not delve into the inner world of the subject, but are a projection of my own feelings and emotions of how I want to look.

堀・インタビュー中の様子
堀・インタビュー中の様子

-- I was impressed by what you said about this exhibition: "The time has come to part ways with the photographic conventions of America and Japan."

To borrow the words of someone, I feel that in Japan there is a "way of photography" like martial arts or flower arranging, and there is a kind of restriction on how things "should be." Also, in the 1990s in America, where I studied photography, there was a strong academic aspect, such as theories on modern photography art starting with Alfred Stieglitz's "Equivalent" and technical theories on preserving archives for over 100 years, and I felt that photography was like a sanctuary for the privileged class.

-- You want to be free from those kinds of stereotypes that surround photography.

In terms of photography theory, there is a view that a work should be complete in one piece. There is no doubt about that, but I have come to think that it is okay to think the opposite. It may be related to the fact that I have wanted to be a film director since I was in elementary school, but I think that there are some photographs that create a synergistic effect by combining multiple photographs that have different time flows, completely different themes, and different processes, and that's what I've been doing a lot recently.

-- "Free Again" means bringing out things that you have hidden deep within yourself.

I was always scared to show my work to people. I'm still scared. When I was in elementary school, my teacher criticized something I made in art class, and maybe that was traumatic for me, but I never had confidence in what I made. Then, I went to New York because I wanted to do photography, and even though I went through unnecessary hardships and worked as a photographer, it was love and hate, not love and peace. I've been wandering in a place where I don't know what love and hate are.

堀のアトリエにて
堀のアトリエにて

-- It's surprising that you, a photographer who has been active at the forefront of the industry, have had such conflicts. I heard that the exhibition held in Golden Gai, Shinjuku prior to this exhibition focused on your failures.

There are now many people who say "I like this" things that were harshly criticized 30 years ago, so I thought I would try to pick up things that have slipped through the cracks of photography etiquette, things that I had ignored because I was afraid of being criticized, and things that I had dropped without even realizing I had done so in an attempt to look cool.

I think that when you decorate your room with art or anything, you decorate it with things that are equal to your feelings. Of course, I will continue working as a photographer, but I feel that if I don't do things that resonate with my feelings, I will no longer be able to come to terms with them.

I create works in response to landscapes or objects that I come across by chance and feel that "this is it!", and then I create works in response to the works I have created. This is a continuous process.

堀のアトリエにて
堀のアトリエにて

-- When else do you find inspiration?

I have a diary that I have been writing every morning for over 20 years. When I wake up, I start writing down what is in my head, and what was in Japanese becomes English or becomes indecipherable characters. Ideas hidden inside me flow out and pop out like a toaster. There is a moment when I am taken in an unexpected direction. I think it is a premonition. I think everyone has moments when they are taken aback, and I think that such premonitions need to be set in motion.

Jack Kerouac, a novelist and poet who represents Beat culture, once said, "Just as a jazz musician plays with images, words flow smoothly from turbulent emotions." Hori Kiyohide's works are also created with an improvisational mindset, overflowing with images and not bound by form. What is the premonition hidden there? The exhibition "Free again" will be on view from May 25th (Sat) to June 3rd (Mon).

ABOUT ARTIST

Kiyohide Hori
Kiyohide Hori
Kiyohide Hori
Hori Kiyohide / Photographer. Born in Aichi Prefecture. He became interested in photography while working part-time at a design office while attending Meiji University. He studied at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York in 1991 and began creating his own work. After returning to Japan in 1997, he worked in culture and fashion magazines, photographing artists, and advertising. He also has experience as a part-time university lecturer and lecturer, and is currently active mainly in portrait photography, based on his own work.
To the artist page

ABOUT EXHIBITION

Exhibition

Kiyohide Hori solo exhibition "Free again"

Venue

YUGEN Gallery
KD Minami Aoyama Building 4F, 3-1-31 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Dates

2024.5.25 (Sat) - 2024.6.3 (Mon)

Opening Hours

Weekdays: 13:00-19:00
Weekends and holidays: 13:00-20:00
*Ends at 17:00 on the final day only

Closed Days

None

Date of presence

All day: May 25th (Sat) and 26th (Sun)
16:00-19:00: May 27th (Mon) and 31st (Fri)
16:00-20:00: June 1st (Sat) and 2nd (Sun)14:00-17:00: Monday, June 3rd

Admission Fee

free

Notes

*Please note that the dates and opening hours may change without notice depending on the situation.

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