Kumi Oguro

 Kumi Oguro was born in Japan in 1972. Her study of photography started in London in 1996, followed by further development at Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp until 2003. Oguro has participated in exhibitions in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan. In 2016 and 2017, she took part in FotoFilmic’s 2016 traveling exhibition to Los Angeles, Vancouver, Melbourne.
She won the 4th place in this juried exhibition. Her first book NOISE was published by Le caillou bleu (Brussels) in 2008. Kumi has lived and worked in Antwerp since 1999. 

HESTER

I am intrigued by the images of our dreams just before awakening: it is difficult to find the logic there, there is nothing to indicate time, the space is indeterminate. In my work, I try to create an atmosphere that is quite close to those dream images.

During the shooting, everything seems to be under my control. I examine the (day) light in advance, according to my planning I build up a scene and fix the pose of the (female) models, as if they are dolls. Still, I leave a certain space for what happens on the spot: unexpected light effects or a subtle change in the pose of the model…

The faces of the models are hidden. It is not clear whether we see a frozen moment of what was going on (whatever it is) or rather if they are waiting to be awakened from a long, long sleep.
These anonymous women are balancing on a thin line between the childlike and the sensual, the fragile and the destructive, the tragic and the playful.

To view more of Kumi’s work please visit her website.