Photographer Hal

Photographer Hal 

Flesh Love 
October 4 - 28, 2012

For the majority of his photographic projects, Photographer Hal seeks out couples in underground Tokyo venues to pose as the subjects of his images. His series entitled "Flesh Love" depicts a wide range of paired individuals encased within the airless spaces of vacuum-sealed futon bags. While these images visualize the physical and emotional intimacy these couples share, an underlying element of danger is also present. As the shrink wrap threatens to suffocate the lovers before the shutter clicks, we are reminded that love, in all of its ecstasy, can easily implode into claustrophobia--or is it a state of oneness? Photographer Hal notes what happens as the couples are compressed:  "the two bodies start to communicate, and whether through unevenness of limbs or the curve of joints, they begin to draw a shape of what they want to express. The two lovers draw closer until they finally transform into a single being."

Photographer Hal was born in 1971 in Tokyo, Japan, where he continues to live and work. He began his career as a commercial photographer for a Japanese advertising firm but he has since gained international attention for his unique conceptual portraits of Tokyo couples. His work has been exhibited in multiple venues in Tokyo and was recently featured in a group show at Wall Space gallery in Seattle and the "Art of Photography Show" in San Diego.