Koichiro Kurita < personal history/statement >
Born in Manchuria and educated in Japan,Koichiro Kurita made his commitment to
photography early in life. First working in the 1960s for an advertising agency in Tokyo,He
became an independent commercial photographer for such diverse client as Takashimaya,Sharp
Electronics and Kanebo Cosmetics until 1983. Then,at age 40,Kurita began to emerge as a fine
art photographer. In 1990, a grant from the Asian Cultural Council (part of the Jhon D.Rockefeller
Found) allowed him to concentrate on his artistic interests, and within the year he had his first
solo exhibition in the United States. In 1993 Kurita moved from Japan to live permanently in New
York, but he has traveled extensively, taking photographs throughout the US,Canada, the United
Kingdom and later in France as well.Wherever he works,regardless of local or terrain,Kurita's
vision remains focused on the elements of nature. He is not so much an enviormental advocate,
intent on capturing and preserving the beauty of nature(though he dose so),but rather he is more
a philosopher of life who finds solace in the contemplation of nature. "I believe that in nature,
the smallest things, or seemingly most insignificant phenomena, have their reason and their
role" he says. As Diogenes took his lantern, seeking an honest man, so Kurita uses his camera in
his search for honest answers to life's enigmas.
From the exhibition brochure of John Stevenson Gallery
Koichiro Kurita <Photographer statement>
<Terrasphere,Hydrosphere,Atmosphere>
My fateful encounter with a book occurred at when I was commercial photographer.
It wasﾒWalden
by Henry D. Thoreau. I was moved by the passage, ﾒAbsolute freedom of the spirit
without any constraint
by societyﾕs rules and the ability to enjoy it in harmony with nature.ﾓ It was a reminiscence of Zuangzi's
philosophy and so close to the Oriental way of understanding nature. Deeply moved and inspired by its
clairvoyant, independent thinking. I promptly quit commercial and retreated to the mountains to start
nature photography.
The world of nature embraces, Terrasphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. Each
surface has a connecting
border in mysterious ways. And in those expanses, all the things and phenomena including living things
exist in time as independent entities. Though each entity is independent, they never exist alone nor in
conflict yet rather in a state of order and harmony. Each connection contributes to a harmony of nature
as a whole. Through easily forgotten, we, too, are part of this natural phenomenon. The swaying grass,
collapsed trees, reflected clouds, always changing, ephemeral. And for me, a return to the quotidian
landscape of nature becomes the theme of photography. I am learning from the Nature with tactile
sensation.
New series <Perceiving>
During my years as a student, there was a time when I was involved in the psychological study and
research of perception. “How and what does the human eye see”is studied with the scientific method.
However, as the eye is connected to the mind, I came to the conclusion neither method could come up
with a definite answer.
Since becoming a photographer, I was still interested in “how people see” and
how the eye functions.
Our eyes focal field is limited to about 2-3 degrees. The more we depart from this field the less clear the
image becomes. Unlike photography, the human eye can not focus on a wide angled focal field. Therefore,
in everyday life, the center of the vision moves randomly at an interval of 1/10 of a second, viewing
various parts, which are memorized and perceived as a whole. The totality of sceneries and objects we see
is a collection of borderless parts made possible through time and memory.
While using this mechanism of the eye, the mind selects what it
needs, consciously an
unconsciously, from the whole perceptual field, and memorizes it, which is the
act of perceiving. I wanted to
connect photography with my many years spent pondering about mind and perception. Contrary to ordinary
photography, which takes images with a single shutter, this Perceiving Series simulates the motions of eyes
and head, and the movement of the viewpoint by using a 8x10 camera attached with a close-to-the-
standard lens, while panning for each visual angle: the field I want to photograph is composed of a sequence.
Printing
I am convinced that fine print quality is an important element in fine art photography.
For these large size (24x40 inch) photographs, I chose traditional platinum/palladium
print process and using Japanese hand made paper which is thin and archival.
It is a harmony of form and content.