Lisson Gallery presents a new exhibition by the multidisciplinary artist Hiroshi Sugimotowith his first exhibition in Los Angeles in over a decade. Titled Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Formthe presentation highlights Sugimoto’s research into the visible and invisible world through the forms of photography, architecture, sculpture and the written word. At the heart of this exhibition is the first American exhibition of Brush Impression, Heart Sutra (2023), accompanied by iconic photographs from the series Sea of Buddha of the artist and a new mathematical model based on the Kuen surface.
Upon entering the space, visitors immediately pass behind a large-scale curved wall, constructed of exposed wood and visible posts, providing a contrasting and tactile introduction to the 288 unique gelatin prints of Kanji characters hanging on the opposite side. Brush ImpressionHeart Sutra (2023) presents the Heart Sutra, a central scripture of East Asian Buddhism – read from right to left, top to bottom – providing a powerful meditative experience that envelops viewers. The work features large-scale calligraphic strokes meticulously developed using photographic methods close to Sugimoto’s traditional process. Although the work does not contain a camera in the classical sense, the interaction of light and a photochemical reaction evokes the very essence of photography. The title of the exhibition, Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Formis a direct quote from the Heart Sutra and refers to the transient nature of all things – nothing has inherent substance or permanence and form is none other than emptiness as emptiness is none other than form . This verse is the most quoted from the Heart Sutra and an appropriate verse for understanding Sugimoto’s work of capturing that which is at the edge of perception, and questioning what we understand as truth and giving form to the intangible.
Around this monumental work are seven works from the series Sea of Buddha by Sugimoto, six individual photographs and a large-scale central figure, depicting the Buddha statues at the venerable Sanjūsangen-dō shrine in Kyoto. These statues, each unique, were photographed at dawn, using only natural light – a process that saw Sugimoto strip away all late medieval to early modern embellishments and turn off the fluorescent lighting contemporary. This approach allows viewers to experience the Buddhas as they might have appeared centuries ago, bathed in morning light. The imagery evokes a spiritual timelessness, drawing connections between past and present, tradition and art.
The gallery will also present a new mathematical model, an extension of Sugimoto’s ongoing fascination with form and perception. In this work, the artist transforms the mathematical equations of the Kuen Surface into a tangible object made of pure stainless steel. The creation of these models draws on the legacy of figures like Isaac Newton, whose pioneering work in mathematics and research into humanity’s understanding of the world was a source of guidance for Sugimoto throughout his career . During the 19th and early 20th centuries, mathematicians and artisans sought to give physical form to complex geometric ideas, making mathematical models by hand in plaster. Sugimoto’s new work continues this tradition through a modern technological lens, adopting a curvilinear horizontality that invites reflection on the convergence of abstract theory and material reality.
Hiroshi Sugimoto : Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form
Until January 11, 2025
Lisson Gallery
1037 N. Sycamore Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
www.lissongallery.com
