Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/iwao-yamawaki-14400" aria-label="More by Iwao Yamawaki" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Iwao Yamawaki</a>
Set Bowls
Presented by Jacqui Brantjes and Daniel Pittack 2012
bowl
emotions, concepts and ideas
formal qualities
natural phenomena
objects
photographic
shadow
vessels and containers
<p><span>Set of Bowls</span> is a black and white gelatin silver print by the Japanese photographer Iwao Yamawaki. It is a still life depicting a set of ceramic bowls in descending sizes nestled one inside the other on top of a table-like surface. The camera is positioned at a diagonal, looking corner-to-corner, while the bowls are positioned at a steep raking angle. A light source hits the bowls obliquely casting part of the composition in shadow, while two further shadows of other discreet objects mark the tablecloth in the upper part of the frame. The light creates a heightened contrast, which transforms the objects into an abstract composition of black and white.</p>
paper print photograph gelatin silver
14 October 2014 – 10 May 2015
2015-05-10
14 October 2014 – 10 May 2015
2015-05-10
2014-10-14
Tate St Ives (St Ives, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/stives/
2014-10-14
The Modern Lens: International Photography and the Tate Collection
Exhibition
16 May 2016 – 7 December 2016
2016-12-07
16 May 2016 – 7 December 2016
2016-12-07
2016-05-16
Tate Modern (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
2016-05-16
Composing for the Camera
Collection based display
8 June 2021 – 14 January 2024
2024-01-14
8 July 2021 – 14 November 2021
2021-11-14
2021-07-08
Museum of Art Pudong (Shanghai, China)
20 December 2021 – 8 May 2022
2022-05-08
2021-12-20
Buk-Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, South Korea)
25 February 2023 – 25 June 2023
2023-06-25
2023-02-25
Auckland Art Gallery (Auckland, New Zealand)
12 July 2023 – 2 October 2023
2023-10-02
2023-07-12
National Art Center (Tokyo, Japan)
26 October 2023 – 14 January 2024
2024-01-14
2023-10-26
Nakanoshima Museum of Art (Osaka, Japan)
2021-06-08
Light
Tate partnerships & programmes
Set of Bowls
image: 127 × 100 mm
support: 127 × 100 mm
support, secondary: 305 × 205 mm
Presented by Jacqui Brantjes and Daniel Pittack 2012
<div class="text">
<p>
<i>Set of Bowls</i> is a black and white gelatin silver print by the Japanese photographer Iwao Yamawaki. It is a still life depicting a set of ceramic bowls in descending sizes nestled one inside the other on top of a table-like surface. The camera is positioned at a diagonal, looking corner-to-corner, while the bowls are positioned at a steep raking angle. A light source hits the bowls obliquely casting part of the composition in shadow, while two further shadows of other discreet objects mark the tablecloth in the upper part of the frame. The light creates a heightened contrast, which transforms the objects into an abstract composition of black and white.</p>
<p>Born in Fujita, Nagasaki, Yamawaki studied architecture at the Tokyo School of Arts and after graduating worked as an architect in a construction company. During this time, he took pictures with his 35mm camera to support and document his architectural studies. These images of architectural structures, industrial forms and objects show the influence of German avant-garde photography, as well as Alexander Rodchenko’s writing and practice. In 1931 he had the opportunity to attend the Bauhaus in Dessau, studying under Josef Albers and learning about László Moholy-Nagy’s approach to photography. The raking light, angle of the camera and close focus on the form of a particular object in <i>Set of Bowls</i> shows Yamawaki experimenting with Moholy-Nagy’s techniques. Yamawaki travelled widely in Europe and the Soviet Union, documenting modernist architecture and design. He also wrote essays for Japanese architecture journals illustrated with his own photographs. In October 1932 his photomontage <i>The Blow against the Bauhaus</i> was withdrawn from an exhibition for fear of Nazi attacks.</p>
<p>
<b>Further reading</b>
<br/>
<i>Asahi Camera</i>,<i> </i>January 1937.<br/>Karl Lagerfield (ed.), <i>Iwao Yamawaki</i>, Gottingen<i> </i>1999.<br/>Gennifer Weisenfeld,<i> Visual Cultures of Japanese Imperialism</i>, Durham 2000.</p>
<p>Simon Baker<br/>February 2011</p>
</div>

Summary
2016-06-28T00:00:00
summary
SHORT_TEXT
bowl emotions, concepts and ideas formal qualities natural phenomena objects photographic shadow vessels and containers