"Provincial Japan".
Guido Castagnoli's photographic exploration of the urban landscape of small Japanese cities takes us far away from the usual stereotypes, which are associated with contemporary Japan. The pictures neither feature dashing population concentration, nor swiftly expanding or technocratic cities. Furthermore, there are no signs for the rather extreme minimalism, which is often linked with Japans culture. Instead, we find ourselves facing a calming atmosphere and artful resolution, within the slightly surrealistic landscape of the Shizouka prefecture. Nevertheless, the locations portrayed in the photographs are very likely to appear rather alienating to an American audience. The items, the focus on room and structures and the striking absence of humans calls to mind the work of photographers such as Stephen Shore, Robert Adams and others forming the “New Topography” movement. Provincial Japan is a series concerned with regional, Japanese landscapes. It is all the more remarkable taking the context of American audiences into account, in the way and manner it hints into the direction of America's own Brummagem and regional landscape, which resonates strongly.