Artist: Yamamoto Masao

Yancey Richardson presents Ten Owls, an exhibition by Yamamoto Masao, the artist’s seventh solo presentation with the gallery. Focusing on his photographs of owls, the exhibition comprises nine gelatin silver prints printed by the artist, a selection that reveals his deep respect for the owl, depicting not only their beauty and grace, but also their eccentricity, companionship and individuality.

Throughout his career, Yamamoto has engaged with birds, capturing their flight and stillness with his elegant poeticism. Owls, or ‘The Forest Guardian’ as he calls them, have been a recurring subject among his bird images. Yamamoto stated, “Owls live in the woods that I call home. When night falls, their low, rhythmic hooting drifts through the air—a melody so soothing it feels like music for the soul. Seeing an owl perched on a well-shaped branch of a mountain walnut tree is like a scene out of a picture book. Even by day, owls occasionally glide silently past me at a low altitude.

“Owls have always been a familiar presence to me. However, as the number of people living in the forest grew, those with no interest in the laws of nature began clearing the trees. Sadly, the owls’ perches are vanishing. Even so, when I hear their faint hooting echoing from somewhere in the distance, I feel a sense of peace.”

Born in Gamagori-City, 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; 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); “é” (Nazraeli Press, 2005); Omizuao (Nazraeli Press, 2003); Nakazora (Nazraeli Press, 2001); and A Box of Ku (Nazraeli Press, 1998).