Toshiaki Mori: B, drawings of abstract forms: Steidl Book Award Japan

Description

B, drawings of abstract forms consists of dynamic and perplexing collages in which photos are digitally spliced and reconfigured, then colored and overlaid with grids, shapes and text fragments. Mori's underlying photos mainly depict Japanese industrial scenes and cityscapes, interspersed with close-ups of everyday objects such as light bulbs and shoes, while the text fragments include writings on the Beat Generation. Mori's "drawings" furthermore evoke the paintings of leading Beat figure William S. Burroughs, while Mori himself refers to his book as "On the Road in a Hazy Mood", a prismatic visual homage to Jack Kerouac's most famous work. 'Toshiaki Mori has no intention of revealing the contents of his multi-layered collages of time and space.' -Toshio Kuwabara, photographer

Born in Tokyo, Toshiaki Mori studied design at Kuwasawa Design School in Tokyo. After working in the scenographic art department of the Haiyuza Theater, Mori worked as an illustrator before taking up photography. His solo exhibitions include "Smell on day no. 16" (2012) at the Tohoku Institute of Technology Gallery in Miyagi, and "2B, drawings of abstract forms" (2016) at William Morris Gallery in Tokyo. Mori is a member of Japan's Society of Publishing Arts.

In channeling [Jack] Kerouac, Mori is trying to find a path to a fresh kind of authenticity through looser, more spontaneous artistic thinking. His collages embody our cacophonous contemporary rhythms, with the kind of energy and freewheeling vitality Kerouac himself might have appreciated.--Loring Knoblauch "Collector Daily"