Light and shadow inside me, 2021–
Gelatin silver print (photogram)

Light and shadow inside me is a signature series of two-dimensional works by Kangawa. In the original green works, paper is coated on one side with water-based dye, folded and fixed to form a polygonal prism, and exposed to sunlight for several weeks. Each face of the prism receives a different amount of sunlight depending on the direction of the sun’s rays, resulting in some areas fading faster than others to form a gradation of color. The fading process can be described as a “progression” in the sense that the dye changes color, or a “regression” in the sense that it brings the paper back to its original color. Furthermore, in their use of sun exposure, works from this series can be considered both paintings and photographs. The understated works, created with only their own light and shadows, offer a new perspective on the relationships between light and shadow, subject and medium, painting and photography, and beginning and end.
While the series is most known for its use of bright green dyes, “Power of Imagination” presents a new variant of black-and-white works which use silver halide photographic paper(*1). Like the bright green works that precede them, the black-and-white works are created by folding whole sheets of paper into polygonal prisms. However, the artist then takes the folded photographic paper into a darkroom and directly exposes it under light for several seconds(*2). Due to their distinct materiality and monumental size, the works are more than just ordinary photographs—in fact, they generate an imposing presence akin to paintings. By reproducing the photographic mechanism of recording and measuring light with only the most basic elements, Light and shadow inside me questions the existing boundaries that define art.

*1  Photographic paper is a type of paper that is coated with a light-sensitive material. In silver halide prints, an emulsion containing silver halide is used. The more light the paper is exposed to, the darker it becomes.

*2  A photogram is an image created without a camera, in which objects or materials are directly placed onto photographic paper and exposed to light. The resulting works are all unique as opposed to editioned.

For a certain family series (2017–)

The small For a certain family series (33.3 × 33.3 cm), works done within the community unit of a specific family, began with the creation of a piece for the family of a friend of his.
Portraits on consciousness, timeless portrait-like works are now in possession of more than one family.

The title of the work will officially be “a series of names of all the family members”. For example, “Anna, Ryo, Erika”.
And if there are more family members - for example, they have children - the title of the work would also change. There is flexibility in the concept of family.
This is the smallest form of commission work, but it is also a commission work that lasts forever.

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Jl. M.H. Thamrin Jl. Timor No.25, RT.9/RW.4, Dukuh Atas, Gondangdia, Kec. Menteng, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10350