Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, 2016
December 18, 2021
This peaceful and harmoniously ordered photograph is representative of Yoko Ikeda's way of seeing. She is drawn to humble subjects and surroundings, places free of obvious associations, which lend themselves to poetic transformation when seen through her camera.
It's notable that the blue retaining wall that ambles across this picture reads as the most aquatic feature—this despite the fact that The Sea of Japan can be glimpsed in a sliver, just over its right side. This gently playful inversion—a cement wall and the sea trading places in the eye—is entirely representative of her art. By taking the photograph in what appears to be the day's last light, she bathes this reverie in a serene mood that feels outside of time.
