Like snow that piles up in winter and melts with the spring thaw, all of our lives are intertwined with the gradually but constantly changing natural environment and our evolving, ephemeral culture. My works are imbued with hope that our world of never-ending confrontation and conflict will see easing of tensions and an embrace of reconciliation. My aim is to create tranquil spaces where one can quietly contemplate the color blue, which evokes water, the sky, and the planet we call home. ―Mika Horie
SOKYO ATSUMI is pleased to present Snow Melting Water, a solo exhibition of the photographer Mika Horie.This will be her first solo show at SOKYO ATSUMI, following one this past autumn at Sokyo Gallery (Gion). Horie grew up in Kyoto and studied photography and design at Kyoto University of Art and Design, before moving to Kingston University in London. In 2013 she returned to Japan and since then has lived and worked in Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, in Ishikawa Prefecture. There she captures the natural landscape that continuously changes with the seasons, using the cyanotype process and printing on washi paper that she makes by hand. The scenery that Horie photographs has associations with the Manʼyoshu (a poetry anthology compiled in the 8th century) and evokes a sense of awe towards nature. Horieʼs images are "cyanotypes," which is an early photographic method invented in 19th century Europe. Her photographs are blue in color, due to the result of a reaction of cyanide and oxides when exposed to light. This is the origin of the word "blueprint.” Her work has attracted significant attention, including in exhibitions outside of Japan.
Ten years have passed since Horie moved to her current location, with its plentiful water, forested mountain and valley landscapes. This environmentally is ideally suited to her creative process. Horie, who has been passionately recording through photography the transitions of nature around her, adds that in recent years she has been living and working to preserve Japanese cultural traditions such as the Japanese weaving and kimono techniques and designs.
Beauty, fragility, and strength coexist in Horieʼs work, which is expressed using an early European photographic technique of sunlight exposure on handmade Japanese paper. The rich gradations of blue color give a sense of depth and immersion in an experience that spans cultural differences and nostalgically reminds one of the passage of time. She dedicates much of her working time to the lengthy and painstaking process of harvesting local ganpi bark, beating the fibers, and making, pressing, and drying paper. This stark contrast with our instantaneous, on-demand society sounds an alarm about the consequences of mass consumption and rapid environmental deterioration. We hope you will enjoy viewing the works in a special space that is different from the photographs you see digitally.
Mika Horie
Born 1984 in Kyoto. Currently based in Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture. She received her BFA in Information Design at Kyoto University of Art and Design in 2007 and in 2009 an MFA in Fine Art from Kingston University, London. Major exhibitions include WATERFRONT II, trace, Kyoto (2018); Life is a Circle, Kamiji-Kakimoto, Kyoto (2019); Kiku, Bildhalle, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2022) ; Trees, Water, and Light, IBASHO Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (2022). Major art fairs include Paris Photo, France (2022); Kogei Art Fair Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan (2022) and Art Collaboration Kyoto, Japan (2023).
