Absolute Photographs

aaploit presents Absolute Photographs, a solo exhibition by Ito Masahiro, on view from September 23 through October 23, 2022. This exhibition is one response to the question "What is photography?" posed in Ito's treatise on absolute photography.

Vilém Flusser pointed out that a photograph taken with a camera may in fact be the work of the engineer who designed the camera. You take a photograph with a camera. The image that appears may be nothing more than something that "happened to be captured" by the algorithm built into the device.

Ito has confronted photography with the conviction of reclaiming it for the artist's hand. As both artist and programmer, Ito has created algorithms that generate photographs. Programming demands rigorous logic—and into this logic, he pours passion. His works carry a quality of mathematical complexity, yet through that passion, they also carry warmth.

Velocity = Distance / Time Series

Images of Earth photographed from space at a shutter speed of one second. Earth rotates counterclockwise at 460 meters per second. From space, the planet spins at an unbelievable speed, yet we who live on it are unaware. This series is an attempt to make that velocity visible.

A Portrait of the Tree Series

Parameters are given to software that generates trees; the resulting trees are captured (photographed). This exhibition presents #oak from the series.

Recursive Call Series

Images generated by algorithm and captured (photographed) by Ito. Digital images are represented in pixels. Might they be considered data conversions of their subjects? There is a difference between a photograph actually taken and one captured from generated data, yet this work can only be seen as a mountain.

Human Error Series

A computer executes commands exactly as given. Instructed one hundred times, it executes the program identically one hundred times. The difference between computer and human is that humans make errors. Ito analyzed the JPEG file format and deliberately corrupted its data structure. The corrupted JPEG file remains a format the computer can correctly interpret, but the image that appears bears no trace of the original.

For inquiries regarding the exhibition and works, please contact info@aaploit.com.