Samurai Foto （吉田繁、蓮見浩明、佐々木一弘、村田光司、 千代田路子、他6名）

Samurai Foto (Shigeru Yoshida, Hiroaki Hasumi, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Kouji Murata, Michiko Chiyoda and 6 other artists)

"Transcendence: Our Shared Humanity My Humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together. --Desmond Tutu Transcendence as the connecting theme of this exhibition is reflected in artwork that is spiritual and emotional, guiding viewers to a new understanding of humanity. While the artists represented here reflect diverse subject matter in their work, there are several unifying factors that define the photographs in this exhibition. The artists have all refined their unique personal visions on a conceptual and emotive level, and at the same time demonstrate a mastery of craftsmanship. Most importantly, their work is transcendent and reflective of our shared humanity. Each body of work, in its own way, demonstrates experience beyond the normal or physical level. The theme of Transcendence is explored through the sections--Nature, Journey, Humanity, and Essence/Abstraction. At first glance, each of these sections may appear very different from one another. However, as Desmond Tutu stated “we can only be human together.” By engaging with this work, we can discover diverse pathways to ideas that are transcendent, rising above the everyday, while bringing us together and leading the way to new levels of appreciation and understanding. As the philosopher Sri Chinmoy wrote, “Listen to the inner light; it will guide you. Listen to inner peace; it will feed you.” The photographers in this exhibition have demonstrated that art reflects our shared humanity and can guide us to a new level of transcendence on the journey to inner peace and understanding. It is our “inner light” that defines our humanity."