Ametsuchi
Summary:
This short descriptive paper provides a quick overview of Rinko Kawauchi’s work before objectively describing Untitled, from the series Ametsuchi.
Untitled, from the series Ametsuchi, is a chromogenic print created by Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi in 2012. The photograph measures 25 by 31 inches and is in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art collection. 1 A contemporary photographer born in Shiga Prefecture in 1972, Kawauchi graduated from the Seian Women's Junior College, now Seian University of Art and Design. 2 After graduation, she worked in commercial photography, where she learned the technical aspects of her trade and had weekend access to the facilities to develop her personal work. 3
Kawauchi’s early work is characterized by the use of a medium-format Rolleiflex camera with a square aspect ratio. Her images are typically poetic and dream-like, depicting details from ordinary life in desaturated colors. Her book Utatane, released in 2001, best exemplifies this work. Inspired partly by her dreams, Utatane, which translates to “catnap,” explores the states between sleeping and waking. In keeping with the theme of everyday life, the photographs she produced at this time were small. 4 Kawauchi’s book The Eyes, The Ears released in 2010, marks a departure from her earlier work. Though the subject matter is similar, Kawauchi displays her poetry alongside her photographs. She also incorporates multiple camera formats, aspect ratios, and prints of her contact sheets. 5
The same willingness to experiment and develop as an artist is evident two years later in her series Ametsuchi. For this series of photographs, Kawauchi was inspired by a dream of what she recounts as “almost frighteningly beautiful scenery.” She awoke with a desire to visit the place but was unsure if it existed. Roughly six months later, she saw the location on television and discovered it was the region surrounding the Mount Aso volcano in Kyushu Prefecture. She also learned the fire she witnessed in the dream is a process known as noyaki. Noyaki is the annual custom of burning the fields to renew farmland and protect the grasslands. The custom is a process of human intervention that has been practiced for around 1,300 years. Without the burns, the grasslands would return to woodlands. While grander in scope than Kawauchi’s earlier work, Ametsuchi is consistent with her examination of beauty in mundane practices. 6
For some years, Kawauchi returned to the Mount Aso region, taking pictures with a large format 4x5 camera. The resulting prints are much larger than her previous work, which she feels is in keeping with the universal issues she is trying to address. When naming a series or book, Kawauchi prefers titles with at least two meanings. In the case of Ametsuchi, there are three meanings. In addition to signifying heaven and earth as well as up and down, Ametsuchi is also the name of the oldest perfect pangram in the Japanese language. According to Kawauchi, her choice to use the name of Japan’s oldest chant is related to the theme of origins found in this series. 7
Upon examining Untitled, from the series Ametsuchi, the viewer can immediately discern that the photograph is a fine-art quality print. The aspect ratio is in keeping with a large-format 4x5 camera. Furthermore, despite the print’s large size, all areas retain a high degree of detail.
The photograph is divided into three main areas: the foreground, the center, and the sky. The viewer’s eye is first drawn to the center of the photograph, the area of greatest contrast where the action is occurring. The hill has a simplified, round shape without structures, trees, or people. Only the tufts of dry grass hint at a sense of scale. Both the left and right sides of the hill have been cropped, forcing it to occupy a larger portion of the frame and cementing its role as the focus of the photograph. A thin, straight line of flames bisects the hill, symmetrically dividing it into halves with one side of solidly blackened charred grass and another of unburnt dried grass. Flames advance from behind the right side of the hill, indicating that the remaining dried grass will soon burn. The biggest conflagration is at the base of the hill, which adds drama and intensity to the scene. The saturated orange hues cause the flames to stand out from the remainder of the photograph, which is primarily limited to browns, grays, and blacks.
Black smoke rises into the upper portion of the photograph and concentrates above the lighter, unburnt portion of the hill, suggesting a checkerboard pattern. White wisps of residual smoke rise from the charred areas, producing a smoldering effect. While the smoke occludes what otherwise appears to be a fair, blue sky, it does not obstruct the view of the scene, and the sky remains the brightest portion of the photograph.
The foreground is the darkest portion of the photograph, consisting of mostly blackened terrain sporadically interspersed with unburnt areas and tufts of dry grass. In addition to providing a vague sense of scale, the foreground provides information about the photographer's vantage point. The viewer can clearly ascertain that she is situated at a safe distance from the hill but with a clear view of the action. While we usually associate fire with danger, there is no sense of fear, panic, or suffering. Instead, the photographer calmly allows the viewer to be an impartial witness to the destructive process of the fire. As if in a dream state, the burning of the fields is simply an event taking place at a physical and emotional distance, which the viewer may choose to calmly observe.
Bibliography
1 SFMOMA, “Artwork Info,” https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2014.269 (accessed July 13, 2024).
2 Rinko Kawauchi Official Website “Biography,” https://rinkokawauchi.com/en/biography/ (accessed July 14, 2024).
3 Chris Vidal Tonomaa, “Rinko Kawauchi,” SSAW Magazine, March 15, 2016, 194-195.
4 SFMOMA, “Rinko Kawauchi Contemplates the Small Mysteries of Life,” filmed March 2016, https://www.sfmoma.org/watch/rinko-kawauchi-contemplates-small-mysteries-life/.
5 Jörg Colberg, “Rinko Kawauchi: Light and Shadow,” filmed March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyOs1Z3gDyc.
6 SFMOMA,“Rinko Kawauchi Contemplates the Small Mysteries of Life.”
7 Aperture Foundation, “Rinko Kawauchi on Ametsuchi,” filmed May 2013, https://vimeo.com/69247890.