Sugimoto's trick is photographing a taxidermy diorama so precisely that it reads as a living landscape, and this show is him returning to that idea fifty years on with fresh access to the AMNH halls. The washi screens push the same images into something sculptural and Japanese. If you have ever stood in front of those dioramas uptown, seeing them reframed here is genuinely disorienting.
What to expect
A hushed, low-lit Chelsea gallery where large black-and-white photographs alternate with folding paper screens that catch the room light. The photographs reward standing close enough to hunt for the seam between real and staged. Staff can share the press release and details on the byobu construction.
Good to know
- Nearest trains: C or E to 23rd St, or the 1 to 18th St
- Gallery is open weekdays; weekend hours are limited, so call ahead
- Entry is from West 24th Street; confirm step-free access with the gallery beforehand
- A good companion visit if you are also doing the natural history halls uptown
- Quiet enough for close looking on weekday afternoons
- Works well for photography students and anyone who likes optical puzzles
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Common questions
What is a byobu?
A Japanese folding screen. Sugimoto has printed images onto washi paper screens so the photographs take on sculptural, three-dimensional presence.
Where were the new photographs made?
In the habitat dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History, which the artist was given access to over the past year.
Is admission charged?
No, Lisson Gallery is free to enter.
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