Splitting Daylight: Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Photographs of Color

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s latest series of photographs is on view at Lisson Gallery in New York City in an exhibition titled Optical Allusion. The famed photographer captures blurry abstract images of refracted daylight that, displayed alongside the real prism that was used in their creation, invites tangible experience with light and time. It’s an exhibition well worth visiting in real life.

Each of the 18 photographs here, collectively titled Opticks, measure nearly 4 feet square and reveal a blurry gradation of color that seems caught between the physical and the ethereal – sometimes implying a foggy seascape or a night sky from another world. Each image is the result of a custom prism that refracts daylight into a full spectrum onto Sugimoto’s wall, often altered or expanded with the use of a mirror. That colorful spectrum is first photographed with a Polaroid camera (Sugimoto was gifted the “last batch” of Japanese Polaroid film in 2009) before being scanned and enlarged into these unique C-prints, retaining their square format. The result is an object that feels both infinitely deep and more film-like than photo-like.

After decades working exclusivity in black-and-white photography (Sugimoto is most famous for his Theater and Seascape series which began in the late 1970s & early 80s) this turn to color is a treat for both newcomers to his practice and those more familiar with his previous explorations of light, duration, blur, and history. The word “Opticks” for example, is a reference to Isaac Newton’s 1704 book Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light that analyzes the nature of light and discoveries using prisms.

There are two critical surprises of viewing this work in person. First, a small section of the normally-diffused gallery skylights have been unfrosted to allow direct sunlight to pierce into the gallery at a certain spot. There, Sugimoto’s massive prism is on display and, if the weather, time, and position is just right, produces a brilliant rainbow on the floor. I visited 4 times before the sun conditions were just right (see my photograph below, on that day!). But whether or not the sun and clouds align for your visit, the ambient light in the gallery continually shifts with the clouds and time of day, adding a heightened awareness of the present moment that ignites these timeless images.

The second surprise of viewing these in real life is the semi-reflective quality of the glass/glazing used in these frames. The intensity of those reflections varies with the darkness of each image and angle of view, but can have the effect of doubling walls (my photo below) or adding an apparition of yourself within the color fields. Whether intentional or not, this exhibition produces a heightened sense of light, time, reflection, and refraction that persists beyond the frames.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see all these works together. I also highly recommend the 2-minute video on the gallery’s website for a great look at the prism, rainbow, reflections, and images.

What: Hiroshi Sugimoto: Optical Allusion
Where: Lisson Gallery, 504 W 24^th St, New York, New York
When: May 2 – August 2, 2024
The gallery is currently open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-6pm, but will change to “summer hours” starting July 8th, open Monday-Friday, through the end of the exhibition.

All images © Hiroshi Sugimoto, Courtesy Lisson Gallery

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