Exhibitions
Bowie seen by Sukita
Fotonostrum hosts seven decades of portraits of David Bowie through the eyes of Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita.
Masayoshi Sukita (Japan, 1938) is a Japanese photographer who, in the early 1970s, saw a poster of David Bowie in London and decided that he had to photograph him. He did not know English, but this did not prevent him from making a place for himself in the circles of the British musician. What was supposed to be a simple session turned into an artistic collaboration and a friendship that lasted until the singer's death.
Down of Hope, 1973 © Sukita
Now, all these images are exhibited at the Fotonostrum gallery, which has changed premises —it is no longer in Rocafort, but in Carrer de la Princesa, 19— and is celebrating it with the exhibition Bowie x Sukita, a show that brings together nearly seventy photographs that the Japanese took of Bowie over forty years and that have already been seen previously in London. It is a visual journey that allows us to see how the musician's image evolved and how, behind each portrait, we can sense a very special understanding between photographer and subject.
he Next Moment_ 1977 © Sukita
The exhibition will be open until September 15, and is the first time that such a wide collection of Sukita's archive has been presented in Spain. Concerts, moments of rest, trips to Japan, sessions thought out in detail and others more spontaneous. One of the most famous photographs is the one that gave rise to the cover of Heroes in 1977. There is also the appearance of the dress designed by Kansai Yamamoto with a red background, which takes us to the Aladdin Sane stage, and a very commented image of a concert in Japan where the singer ended up practically naked, with only sumo shorts.
Gimme your hands, 1973 © Sukita
Bowie and Sukita also shared trips and projects, such as when Bowie joined Iggy Pop to promote The Idiot, an album he produced himself and with a cover that was also signed by Sukita. There are photos of Bowie walking the streets of Tokyo, changing his look depending on the year, even with a beard in the 2000s.
David Bowie was, more than a musician, a total creator who turned personal and artistic metamorphosis into a form of expression. In all these images, his unmistakable magnetism and the ease with which he connected with the audience, both on stage and in front of the camera, are evident.
A Day in Kyoto 6 - Departure, 1980 © Sukita
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