IBASHO is proud to introduce the body of work 'Murder' created by the Canadian photographer Guillaume Simoneau (1978). When he was a child, Guillaume Simoneau's family adopted a nest of baby crows orphaned from a fallen tree. Photographs from this time, taken by Simoneau's mother, a poet and painter, are set in dialogue with Simoneau's works, produced in the Spring of 2016 and 2017 in Japan. Evoking the post-war masterpiece 'Karasu' [Ravens] by the Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase, Simoneau's series 'Murder' explores the ambivalent and shifting figure of the crow; at once a symbol of intimacy and an omen of turbulent times. 'A murder of crows' is also the collective noun for a group of crows. In 'Murder' Simoneau takes tropes of life and death and interweaves them, creating space for alternative stories. 'Murder' does not express existentialist anxiety, contrary to Fukase's 'Ravens'. Instead, it displays a fascination for situations in which vulnerability and power are found together. On his travels through Japan, Simoneau consciously retraced the steps of Fukase, who journeyed to these same places. The shots of his travels in Japan also feature people, landscapes and views. At first sight a diversion, these images lend the whole series a layeredness and a depth. What Simoneau presents to us is a vivid place where light and dark exist together in a tight embrace.
'Murder' premiered at the international photography festival Rencontres d'Arles earlier this year and has been published by MACK London.
Montreal based Guillaume Simoneau (1978) began his independent studies in photography after completing a diploma in applied science. Today his practice is split between personal projects and editorial & commercial assignments.
