Press

 

"The built infrastructure is not a landscape created by god or formed by nature. It is the raw mark of human beings living in this world." -Izawa Kotaro, photography critic

SALEM, MA -- Starting this April, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) will show new and seldom seen works by one of Japan's visionary landscape photographers. Since the early 1980s, Toshio Shibata has turned his lens on the roads, dams and bridges of Japan to create visually striking images highlighting the delicate balance between nature and the artificial. On view from April 20 - October 6, 2013, Toshio Shibata, Constructed Landscapes features 28 large scale photographs, including the first of the artist's color photographs ever to be exhibited at an American museum.

Shibata teases beauty out of the unlikeliest of places. Historically, Japanese photographers featured obviously picturesque locations such as temples and gardens. Shibata revolutionized landscape photography in Japan in the 1980s, by instead turning his attention to concrete engineering works and infrastructure found alongside Japanese roadways. He is drawn to these places as microcosms of the delicate balance between the rigidity of human-made structures and the organic properties of nature.

"As stunning as Toshio Shibata's photographs are, they are infused with deep awareness of humanity's place in nature," said Phillip Prodger, PEM's curator of photography.  "As with all the best landscape photographers, his works cause us to reflect on what it means to live in this world."

Toshio Shibata, Constructed Landscapes is part of PEM's continuing effort to introduce contemporary international photographers and their work to new audiences.

PRESS IMAGES

Captioned, high-resolution press images are available upon reqeust. 

IMAGE CREDIT

Toshio Shibata, Okawa Village, Tosa County, Kochi Prefecture, 2007. Courtesy of the artist. © Toshio Shibata.

EXHIBTION CREDIT

This exhibition is made possible by the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.

ABOUT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

Founded in 1799, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) presents outstanding works of artistic and cultural creativity in ways that transform people's lives. The museum's collection is among the finest of its kind, showcasing an unrivaled spectrum of American art and architecture as well as outstanding Asian, Asian export, Native American, African, Oceanic, maritime and photography collections. In addition to its vast holding, the museum offers a vibrant schedule of changing exhibitions and an interactive education center. The museum campus features numerous parks, period gardens and 22 historic properties, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200‐year‐old house that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture on display in the United States. Currently, a comprehensive $650 million Campaign is underway to advance PEM's mission, fortify its endowment, improve infrastructures and build a 175,000-square-foot expansion, set to open in 2017.

HOURS:  Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm and the third Thursday of every month, 10 am-9:30 pm. Closed Mondays (except holidays), Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

ADMISSION: Adults $15; seniors $13; students $11. Additional admission to Yin Yu Tang: $5. Members, youth 16 and under and residents of Salem enjoy free general admission and free admission to Yin Yu Tang.

INFO: Call 866‐745‐1876 or visit our Web site at www.pem.org