IBASHO is proud to present an exhibition of photographic works by the Dutch artist Casper Faassen (1975). The exhibition includes several works in which Faassen combines photography, painting and Japanese culture, illustrating the transience of worldly existence.
In parallel with the Japan museum Sieboldhuis in the Netherlands, where Faassen exhibits until June 4th, IBASHO presents Faassen's new series inspired by the elegance of Japanese culture and brevity of Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e). The results are beautiful, melancholic images featuring recurring motifs from Japanese culture. Fleeting Images presents us with the image of Japanese women in luxury kimonos, swirling snowflakes and displays of cherry blossoms.
The pieces in this exhibition are constructed from different layers of photographic and painted art. By combining photography with painted layers, Faassen could be described as either a photographing painter or a painting photographer. In his work, the transience of worldly existence is expressed by the disappearance of images and is heightened by the addition of a layer of craquelure. This emphasises the contrast between the beauty of the images and the inevitability of decay. They are introverted images, not entirely visible, like a memory or a dream.
The exhibition will also show ukiyo-e prints by Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the 19th century that have inspired Faassen in creating Fleeting Images.
