Rinko Kawauchi is a master of visual meditation: “When I am shooting, I am following my intuition without thinking. Thinking too much is boring, not good. It stops the surprising from coming through. When a picture happens, I just say “thank you” and move on. It is only afterwards that I become an editor and impose the meaning on the work.” In 2017, Rinko completed and edited her series “Halo”, pushing her work further towards the sublime and exposing herself to the unpredictable cosmic forces, such as the seasons, the lunar cycle or the uncontrollable effects of light. In wintertime, countless numbers of migratory birds appear throughout Europe. One example of such a place is the coast of Brighton, in England. When evening falls, smaller flocks of birds appear from all directions and converge—uniting as a single, vast mass. Their movements almost resemble a dance. It is said that this activity serves to stave predators away, although only the birds know why they behave this way. The smaller flocks, one by one, come together to create a massive, collective body— this phenomenon comes to resemble human society itself. Their movements create the appearance of a great, shifting shadow. It is like feeling the unidentifiable power brought about by being part of a great crowd, whereas the abilities of an individual on their own are limited. In a village of the Hebei province in China, there is a festival called Da Shuhua, held on the day of the Lantern Festival of the Chinese New Year. Although it is unclear when the festival first began, the tradition is over three-hundred-years old. The festival traces its beginnings to when people began throwing molten iron against the city walls—the poor man’s equivalent to more elaborate reworks. The storm of sparks, rebounding against the walls, looks like a rain of light; the men continue to scatter the iron, with the molten drops falling upon them, warriors battling an unknown entity. For those who live in poverty, every day is a battle in its own way—perhaps it’s only natural that this ritual reminds one of a struggle. The tenth month of Japan’s lunar calendar is called Kannazuki, meaning “the month in which the gods are absent.” During this time, the Shinto gods are absent from their usual posts throughout most of Japan. It is said that the gods congregate at Izumo, home of Japan’s oldest Shinto shrine, to attend a conference. However, in the Izumo region, and this region alone, there is another name for the same month—Kamiarizuki, meaning, “the month when the gods are present.” During this period there is a festival in Izumo, called Kami Mukae Sai, where worshippers welcome the gods to the beach of Inasanohama. Sacred ames are lit upon the shores, and spectators watch as the rituals take place. I x my eyes on the pitch-dark sea, and felt as if the dark ocean was asking me: Did you find what you were looking for? I find no answer. Instead, I click the shutter button. The lights strobe and refract against the raindrops, and they glitter. The thoughts of the people in prayer, invisible to the human eye, too, take form and reflect in the drops. On a tiny star in a galaxy, even tinier creatures continue to carry out their own roles. All under the light of the sun; All maintaining a fragile balance, like walking over thin ice; All while searching for beauty, as if in prayer; All protected, with each of their realms continuing to endlessly overlap with one another. Text by Rinko Kawauchi

Rinko Kawaychi was born in 1972 in Shiga Prefecture, Japan and lives and works in Tokyo. In 2001 she simultaneously released a series of three photographic books – UTATANE, HANABI, and HANAKO from publisher Little More, and in 2002 she was awarded prestigious 27th Kimura Ihei Award for UTATANE and HANABI. Other noteworthy Rinko Kawauchi publications include AILA (2004), the eyes, the ears, and Cui Cui (2005), Illuminance, (2011) and Ametsuchi (Apeture, Kehrer verlag and Seigensha). She also received the eminent In nity Award in 2009 in the Arts Category by the International Center of Photography; the 63rd Ministry of Cultural A airs Newcomer of the Year award for 2012; the 29th Shashin no Machi Higashigawa Native Japanese Artist Award for 2012. Kawauchi has participated in and hosted a multitude of group and solo exhibitions both within Japan and all over the world, including Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris, The Photographers’ Gallery, London, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France.