Seiya Higuchi
“ some things do not flow in the water ”
2020Grand Prize
ARTIST STATEMENT
some things do not flow in the water
The Japanese saying mizu ni nagasu [literally “let the water carry it away”] means to forget past troubles as if they never happened. Some aspects of the history between Japan and Singapore, however, cannot be easily carried away by water — an idea that can be summed up as “forgive, but do not forget”.
The photos appearing in this work were taken in locations related to the history between Singapore and Japan. I showered with prints of the photos and washed some of the ink off the prints. Later, I recorded a video of myself looking at the prints with the ink stripped off them and narrating as I try to recall what had been in the blank portions of the prints.
Photographs can be evidence of the past, but lack of evidence does not erase the truth. Unfortunately, without evidence, the truth is often forgotten or rewritten.
Entries form: Video (21:17)
Selecting judge: Hiroshi Nomura
My eyes were riveted on the photos being rinsed away in the shower, an act that made me ponder the memory and materiality of photographs. During the meandering narrative and performance, we become indifferent and detached from the images on the photographs. The photographs were turned back into bare white photographic paper, leaving only a dim afterimage in one”s mind. The work”s treatment of photographs was refreshingly new. The artist”s absolute lack of hesitation was startling, and the video immediately gripped and astounded me.
PROFILE
Seiya Higuchi
Seiya Higuchi was born in Nagano Prefecture in 1995 and graduated from the Department of Visual Media, School of Media and Design, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences. His interest lies in deliberately probing what can be seen through images, rather than the actual objects. His works deal with photography and images.
2020Grand Prize
