Hong Kong, 24 May – 22 June 2013: Rossi & Rossi is proud to present Photographs from the Snow Series, a solo show by the internationally acclaimed film director Abbas Kiarostami. This will be the inaugural exhibition in our new space and also the first solo show in Hong Kong for Mr. Kiarostami. The exhibition comprises 50 photographs by the artist all taken in 2002.
“The work of an artist resembles his sentiments, contradictory or not. In fact, either we resemble our work or not at all. Even if I belong to the second category, it is apparent that my photographs are made of the same substance as my dreams”.[i] – Kiarostami
The impulse that guides Kiarostami’s gaze is, in his own words, “to capture the disparate beauty of nature”. Elaborating his experience, he says, “Nature captivates suddenly, occasionally, unexpectedly, powerfully, such that a familiar landscape can suddenly attract us, captivate us”[ii] and that the moments that produce “these ideal photographs are sometimes very hard to access”. The nature photography of Kiarostami aims to preserve not merely the reality that is caught within the confines of its frame, but the inherent essence of that reality.
In his observations, Kiarostami travels long expanses of uninterrupted nature, where he may only activate his shutter a mere ten times across a three thousand kilometres journey[iii]. These long solitary escapes become a form of therapy away from the urban sprawl. This contemplative observation acts as a “sedative” and a form of therapeutic relief and restoration for the artist. Having originally trained as a painter, Kiarostami says, “My discovery of the camera has perhaps replaced the therapy of painting”[iv]. For him, the act of photography is primarily a form of existential introversion, a restorative reflection and connection with his self. This is articulated in his explicit wish to connect the object of his photograph “with the substance of his dreams”.
On 25 May, two extraordinary films by Abbas Kiarostami’s, Taste of Cherry and Wind Will Carry Us, will beshown at HK Arts Centre agnès b. cinema, followed by a seminar attended by the artist.
