Tomio Seike

Seike is primarily known for his black and white photographs handprinted in Japan, though he has also made landscapes in colour. His sensitive play on light and composition adds a serenity to his images which defines his style and adds a beauty to scenes of everyday life. Tomio Seike remains one of Hamiltons Gallery’s longest standing represented artists.

 

 

In Seike’s pictures of Paris, there is an ethereal quality that prevails throughout his work. Indeed, he manages to capture the quiet moments in life most people fail to notice by expertly balancing between the abstract and traditional, using only natural light and attributing common daily scenes with greater meaning through his compositions. 

 

Seike’s exquisite small format works further highlight the intimacy of the scenes he captures through their size, forcing the viewing to get up close to absorb every detail. This series conveys a strong sense of melancholy – akin to scenes of ‘la vie de bohème’ which made Paris what it is today - capturing the timeless essence of the city.