Eriko Kaniwa
Eriko Kaniwa is an international award-winning fine art photographer based in Tokyo, and the creator of Sensegraphia fine art photography.
Sensegraphia is a conceptual redefinition of photography, in which the visual aesthetics of the photograph are used to develop and express a sense of nature that enables us to recognize that humans are a part of the Earth. It is a major concept of her works.
Kaniwa spent two years exploring the symbols of Japanese nature worship, which are exemplified in the so-called “eight million gods” of Shinto. She reflected on how the ancient Japanese viewed their natural surroundings and symbolized it as an object of prayer. Traveling to over twenty locations throughout Japan, she captured images of torii gates built in water, sacred “wedded rocks,” World Heritage Sites, and other spiritual landscapes. These images are collected, together with text, in her book JOKEI – Symbols of Nature Worship, Sacred Places in Japan, which has won multiple international awards as the one of the best fine art photo books in the world. In addition to this book, her other works have received multiple international awards, including PX3, ND Awards, Sony World Photography Awards, IPA, and more.
She creates digitally enhanced artwork based on her unique philosophy. Her work has been displayed at galleries in London and New York, as well as at art fairs and international exhibitions such as Paris Photo/Fotofever 2018 and Barcelona Foto Biennale, 2018. She has also been featured in magazines such as British GQ, London Life, Wired, and NY-ARTNews.
“To take photographs and look at them is to become a witness to the manifestation of events that appear and disappear within the flow of time immemorial. For me, photography is not a philosophical metaphor for death or the past, but rather a crystallization of the temporal dimension with which humans react so vitally, achieved through the medium of light.”
She is now deeply concerning about the 6th mass extinction of animals currently in progress on the planet, and is actively exploring whether it is possible to any representation as to the concept of creation.
Email: info_sensegraphia@icloud.com
Website: https://sensegraphia.jp
Instagram: @sensegraphia
