Hiroshi Sugimoto Conceptual Forms

Born in Tokyo in 1948, Sugimoto left his native Japan in 1970 to study in Los Angeles at a time when Minimalism and Conceptualism were the predominant movements in the art world. These movements helped to define his unique approach to photography characterised by its rigorous sense of seriality, its probing analysis of empirical reality, and its pretensions toward the metaphysical. Hiroshi Sugimoto develops his works in series; a carefully considered concept serves as the point of departure for the creation of a body of work devoted to a specific theme.
Published to accompany an exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, this publication includes Sugimoto's 'Conceptual Forms' series (44 photographs) and installation views. Here the artist has photographed mathematical and mechanical forms derived from stereometric plaster models from the 19th and early 20th century used to provide a visual understanding of complex trigonometric functions, and late 19th century mechanical models that were used to demonstrate basic movements of modern machines.