Mount Fuji photographs by John Riddy
John Riddy, Shin-Fuji (Tree), 2005, from the series Views from Shin-Fuji, 2005, © John Riddy
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton) is interested in places and the passing of time. He is renowned for his black and white prints of urban architectural spaces, but his latest photographs are in colour. They explore the relationship between the traditional and modern landscapes of Japan. Layering the urbanised small town of Shin-Fuji with the natural beauty of Mount Fuji, Riddy contrasts the polar opposites - rural and urban, old and new, natural and artificial - for which modern Japan is famous.
Mount Fuji has become an icon associated with Japan's cultural past and traditions - a link nurtured by influential artists such as the printmaker Hokusai (1760-1849) and the photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909).
Riddy uses the mountain as a precisely placed point of reference to suggest the sophisticated spatial awareness in Japanese society and the Fuji fervour of modern tourism.
The timelessness, evoked by the stillness, the absence of people, the peculiar quality of light and Mount Fuji itself, is juxtaposed against the indications of a modern town with its geometrical power lines, stark red colours, flat signs and parked cars. These images explore the evolving relationship between town and mountainscape, people and nature.
Riddy presents Mount Fuji according to artistic tradition, but by including the town of Shin-Fuji he demands a new perspective, both perpetuating and adding to the myth of a mountain.
Written to accompany the John Riddy exhibition.
Click on the images below for larger versions.
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Garden)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Garden), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Field)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Field), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Hillside)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Hillside), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Diner)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Diner), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Cross Roads)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Cross Roads), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Kites)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Kites), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
John Riddy, 'Shin-Fuji (Street)
John Riddy (born 1959, Northampton)
'Shin-Fuji (Street), 2005', from the series 'Views from Shin-Fuji'
2005
Digital C-type print
Width 60cm x height 47cm
Courtesy of the artist and Frith Street Gallery
© John Riddy
British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age
31 March–12 August 2012
Showcasing over 300 British design objects, this exhibition celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games' to the summer of 2012.
More detailsShop online
The Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji (Custom print)
The Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji, No.12 Musashi Koganei, by Utagawa Hiroshige (20 x 25 cm print, Satin Finish)
Buy nowEvent - John Hegarty
Tue 29 May 2012 19:00
EVENING TALK: Hear how John Hegarty, co-founder of the global advertising firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty, develops his ideas and his views on the world of international advertising.
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