Miki Takahashi

Inside

The human face, long a medium of expression for the soul, is used by Japanese photographer Miki Takahashi as a surface for projection. Through double exposure, the Toyko-based artist allows portraits of herself to reveal her inner feelings. The merged cityscapes of her “Inside” series become vessels of feeling, emotion, and allusion. Time stands still, captured in moments of floating freedom and inward reflection. The urban space opens itself up to an invisible sense of emotion, before absorbing the very same. The poetic style of the shots also portrays a narrative of city life. Tokyo is revealed to us from an unusual, unfamiliar perspective. These self-portraits are therefore both moving and remarkably expressive. Composed with particular skill, they give an impression of perfect harmony. Landscape and portrait merge smoothly into one another to produce a gentle melancholy. The images are full of emotional depth and profound aesthetic sensitivity. Because we only half recognise the face of the young woman, the effect is particularly mysterious.

Stephan Reisner