Yusuke Sakai « Muybridge's Horse

Yusuke Sakai

Yusuke Sakai’s Skin depicts the close-up surface of animals’ fur, feathers, and skin. Rich with detail, the images show an aspect of each animal unable to be appreciated from a greater distance. The color and natural patterns and textures are astounding and mesmerizing. Upon first glance, the series made me think of the work of Oscar Citutat and Linda Kuo. I’d love to have one piece from Skin, large, or a grid of many in my home.

From the artist’s statement, via LensCulture: Once, I unexpectedly discovered a photograph of an elephant’s abdomen. I couldn’t figure out how this photo was taken or why it moved me so much, but I could tell that it gave me a wonderful feeling. The impression it left on me was unmistakable. In looking at that photograph, I felt like I was seeing the skin of an elephant for the first time, while simultaneously, I knew that the sight of the skin was deeply familiar.

In this series, I photographed various animals which caught my eye at the zoo. Each of these animals interested me for their own reasons: for some, I was taken by their form or movement, others their size or strange proportions. In the end, I found that each animal was a unique assemblage of all these qualities. Although the animals fascinated me in many different ways, I decided (in homage to that elephant abdomen I had once seen) to concentrate only on each animals’ skin. By reducing the animal in time and space to a still, two-dimensional (but deeply textured) photograph, I hope that the viewer will look as if for the first time and re-discover the animals’ beauty in a new way.