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In the 1980s Shibata studied photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium. Having always created his painting in a studio, he wanted to make a change in his environment and shoot his photographs outside. This variation in his routine introduced a new set of possibilities. Shibata discovered the wonders of outdoor photography, never returning to his studio for photographic subject material.
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Upon returning to Japan from Europe, Shibata photographed land and water, still his preferred subjects. His images continued to depict strong architectural contrasts and abstract sculptures created by water erosion and construction in progress. Soft ground, frequent rains and earthquakes continually necessitated construction to prevent landslides. It is this ever-shifting landscape that attracts Shibata's eye.
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Untitled Polaroid #228, 2005 |
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Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, 2000 |
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| Instant film accelerates results; they are immediate. Positives and negatives acquired in a moment can be reviewed, contemplated, reworked and revisited days, months or years later. For Shibata, they encourage experimentation and contemplation. He works in the darkroom, modifying the size and density of his prints without digital interference. Print size is a fundamental concern. A large print clamors for attention, announcing its presence, making a greater impact on the viewer than one of modest dimensions. Untitled Polaroid #228 stands almost four feet high. It is a tour de force created with a Type 55 negative he had made years earlier. However, Shibata also selected this image for inclusion in "One Picture Book #20, Toshio Shibata," a limited edition artist's book. |
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| Containing 16 pages of text and illustrations, the book featured an original, significantly smaller, and more intimate, 5x7-inch gelatin silver print of Untitled Polaroid#228. |
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