torii

“Torii - A torii is a gate built at the entrance of a shrine. The gate demarcates the sacred percent of Shintoism, which is Japan’s ancient religion (or religious attitude/custom), from the secular world in which people live. From the Meiji period (1868-1912) to the end of World War II, Shintoism was used under the colonialism of the Japanese government, and many shrines and torii were built across East Asia.”

Excerpt from _torii _by Motoyuki Shitamichi

Known for creating works which reconstitute and explore new meanings for objects and structures built in the past, Motoyuki Shitamichi’s _Torii _is a photographic documentation of remnants, their symbolic representations and its relationship with time. Once again Motoyuki Shitamichi brings together a body of work which reflects on both past and present, portraying the changes within the landscapes of our everyday.

Included within this photobook is an essay by Mihoko Nishikawa (curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo) quoted from the catalog of MOT Annual 2012: Making Situations, Editing Landscapes (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo) and an afterword by Motoyuki Shitamichi.

Text included available in both Japanese and English.