GLANAGE

Naohiro Ninomiya
GLANAGE

Photographs: Naohiro Ninomiya

Publisher: The(M) éditions & Ibasho

16 pages

Comments: Hardcover with a picture stick on it, double Leporello, 23,5 x 12,7 cm, b&w photographs. Design by Joana Bravo. Limited edition of 200 copies.

"As a young boy in Japan I used to gather small things during my many wanderings around
my home. These small objects felt very valuable to me; I regarded them as my secret
treasure.
Growing up, moving to France and becoming a photographer has transformed me into a
person who works very methodically when I am in the process of creating my artworks.
Everything is thought through until the tiniest detail.
A few years ago, however, I started taking pictures with a compact camera without
bothering about a concept or a working method. I have been gathering little scenes of daily
life, everyday objects, whatever catches my eye. I now collect images intuitively as I was
gathering things when I was a child, which feels liberating. When I look through a
magnifying glass at the contact sheets of the images I took, I am searching for little shining
gems. Using the old printing technique of ‘orotone’ and small sizes I cut and polish the
found gems into visual dainty diamonds.
Catching these simple and humble scenes feels like a treasure hunt to me. Picking up
things we don't usually notice and transforming them into ethereal relics of a frozen
present, these moments are fleeting, delicate, and beautiful. Our lives ultimately consist of
an accumulation of such moments.
To me, this approach is akin to gleaning. As France is my adoptive home, I have titled this
series with the French word “Glanage,” a reference to Jean-François Millet’s painting ‘Des
glaneuses’ from 1857. It felt natural, perfectly fitting, and serves as a tribute to my family of
traditional farmers in Japan.
My intention is to continue this series until my final days. As this collection of gleaned
items grows and is displayed on the wall, it will increasingly resemble the Milky Way from
a distance—a Milky Way that expands. A golden Milky Way that could be seen as a vital
thread throughout my life."