Exhibition by Yamamoto Masao: AMBROTYPES Will be on View at Yancey Richardson

The emotional power of photography – and the ability of an image to evoke memories – will be illustrated in an exhibition of new photographic work by Japanese artist Yamamoto Masao. The exhibition, Ambrotypes, titled after a 19th century process that produces a one-of-a-kind image on glass, will be on view at Yancey Richardson from November 16, 2023, through January 6, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, November 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
 
In his seventh exhibition with the gallery, Yamamoto captures intimate moments that become visual haiku, using a range of subject matter from the nude female body to wildlife he encounters in the Japanese countryside. His images, which at times can appear otherworldly, are inspired by the beauty of the natural world, overlooked details, spirituality, and Japanese aesthetic traditions. His ambrotypes of birds recall the genre of Japanese bird-and-flower paintings dating back to the 14th century.
 
To make ambrotypes, Yamamoto uses the collodion process – widely practiced in the mid-19th century – which requires the glass to be coated, exposed, and developed within a matter of minutes. Thus, the element of time is critical to Yamamoto's process; he works quickly in the moment as the collodion is coagulating to realize an image, which is then forever fixed. The resolution of images produced by collodion, which serves as a photosensitive emulsion, has a quality that is no less than the high resolution of digital technology today.
 
As Yamamoto explains, “I apply collodion to a glass plate and capture the image before the plate dries. The transparency of glass gives depth to the projected image. It is as if you are peering into a different world through a small window. The fluidity of the collodion shows me an accidental, unknown world. I feel the time has been rewound, and I am traveling back to the origin of photography.”
 

About Yamamoto Masao

Born in Gamagori, Japan, in 1957, Yamamoto is based in Yamanashi, Japan. His work has been exhibited in international institutions including the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; George Eastman House, Rochester; Carrousel du Louvre, Paris; Galerie de Moderne, Munich; and Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz, Brazil; and Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Art, Japan. Yamamoto's photographs are included in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; International Center of Photography, New York; and the Sir Elton John Collection, among others. His monographs include Bonsai: Microcosms Macrocosms, T&M Projects, 2019; Tori, Radius Books, 2016; Fujsan, Nazraeli Press, 2008; Omizuao, Nazraeli Press, 2003; Nakazora, Nazraeli Press, 2001; and A Box of Ku, Nazraeli Press, 1998.
 

About Yancey Richardson

Founded in 1995, Yancey Richardson represents artists working in photography, film, and lens-based media. The current program includes emerging photographers as well as critically recognized, mid-career artists such as John Divola, Mitch Epstein, Ori Gersht, Anthony Hernandez, Laura Letinsky, Andrew Moore, Zanele Muholi, Mickalene Thomas and Hellen van Meene. Additionally, the gallery has presented exhibitions of historically significant figures such as Lewis Baltz, William Eggleston, Ed Ruscha, August Sander, and Larry Sultan. Yancey Richardson gallery artists have been extensively collected and exhibited by museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, Centre Pompidou, National Gallery of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Tate Museum, and Stedelijk Museum. Gallery artists have been widely published in artist monographs, prominent art journals, and critical texts and reviews of the gallery's exhibitions have appeared in many publications. Yancey Richardson is a member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) and the Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD). Yancey Richardson is located at 525 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011. Contact the gallery at 646-230-9610 or info@yanceyrichardson.com