Quiet Moments ‘In Plain Sight’

By SUDINmag | Tweet

Tonight, the 92Y debuts In Plain Sight, photographic works by David Akiba, 5-6:45p.m.
Weill Art Gallery at the 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue New York, NY.

Akiba, a well known Boston photographer, presents black and white photographs of scenes in nature, both organic and industrial.

Photo by SUDINmag

Akiba describes his work as being about the emotional response to the visual and the personal experience behind it. Akiba uses the quality of light to present dynamic contrast or lack-thereof in his subjects. Although the light, design, and composition are all very strong his his work, Akiba has is more concerned with the emotional experience than the technical aspects behind his artistic decisions.

Photo by SUDINmag

In Plain Sight includes many photographs of nature in winter, presenting a still, quiet, and sometimes subtle experience. Akiba invites the viewer to step away from the busy world and take a moment to reflect on the beauty in nature all around us. The viewer is invited to remember these quiet moments, and reflect on the delicate beauty when outside of the gallery.

In the past Akiba focused on more aggressive and dramatic narratives including one series detailing the turmoils of separation in his family which eventually led to the mending of these ties through his art.

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The park he took many of the nature photographs, The Emerald Necklace, is a designed landscape much like Central Park, yet he does not feel that this is in any way a detractor of its quality. As Akiba describes it, “you can not separate what we have built from what exists without our making it.”

Photo by SUDINmag

David Akiba inspires us to step out of our busy lives and reflect on the awesome beauty of our world. Whether in a forest or on the city streets, it surrounds us on a daily basis.