Submerged with Life #1

We at Styll Gallery are thrilled to be introducing the work of Hiroyuki Arakawa to our audience for the first time. Born in 1951 in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, Hiroyuki’s soul, touching images leave an indelible imprint. Perhaps it is the deep spiritual connection he pours into each frame or the gentle presence of his Buddhist philosophy that permeates his lens, but his work draws us in. From the quiet serenity of White Flowers to the fiery drama of the Conceptual Flame Collection, his photography engages the viewer on a visceral and emotional level.

Hiro himself describes his art simply: “My work is both ephemeral and deep in its manifestation.” And nowhere is this truer than in his legacy collection, White Flowers. He explains, “White Flowers are the infinite reminder to us all of peace and a feeling that all is well with the world.” Each bloom he captures, plucked from gardens or found in nature, becomes a meditation on light, form, and stillness. In England, a single white peony transformed his practice. Placed by a north, facing window at twilight, the magic hour just after sunset, the bloom seemed to communicate silently with him.

Photographed against black lacquer, it became something beyond mere representation: a living abstraction. Black and white replaced color, shadows and highlights became poetry, and long exposures captured the soft, refracted light of dusk in a way only digital photography allows.

The reception of White Flowers has been extraordinary, particularly in Japan, where critics celebrate Arakawa as a master of black, and, white photography in the tradition of Ansel Adams’ Zone System, while remaining deeply rooted in Zen and minimalism. This series will continue until nature itself has shared all of its white beauties, and we are honored to be the first to showcase it in our gallery.

Hiro’s fascination with the elements did not stop with flowers. His Conceptual Flame Collection transforms fire into a medium of philosophical and artistic exploration. Since ancient man discovered fire, it has been a beacon of civilization, a source of prayer, reflection, and life itself. Inspired by fire’s endless ability to take form, Hiro photographed turbulent flames using high, speed shutter techniques. He began with vegetable oils, producing delicate, mellow shapes, and then shifted to mineral oils, revealing intense vitality and fiery bursts of energy. From this process emerged mythic forms, a dragon and a phoenix ascending into the sky. As Hiro recalls, the shapes were not immediately visible while shooting; it was only on his monitor that the full beauty revealed itself, hitting him with waves of emotion. Playful and experimental, the Conceptual Flame Collection masterfully interprets messages from the supernatural world through the unpredictability of fire, linking form, emotion, and chance in entrancing ways.

Even though our relationship with Hiro is new, we are already captivated by the depth, delicacy, and energy of his work. His collaborations with Yohji Yamamoto, where White Flowers inspired the Autumn/Winter 2011, 2012 collection, opening the runway in a show called “FLOWER POWER”, and the fashion brand Discord, which translates his natural forms into wearable, elegant designs, reveal how Hiro’s vision bridges tradition and contemporary creativity.

His work has been exhibited around the globe, including Catherine Memmi (2008), Gallery ArtDish (2009), Las Chicas Aoyama (2010), Cassina Aoyama (2011), The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (2012), Little Black Gallery London (White Flowers, 2013), e’Interiors Tokyo (2014), Shangri, La Hotel at The Shard London (2015), Gotham Gallery London (2015), and KYOTOGRAPHIE 2020 KG+ Conceptual Flame Installation Photography. We are excited to now bring this remarkable body of work to StyllGallery and to share it with our collectors and audience.

Every image, whether a delicate white peony or a swirling, mythic flame, is an invitation to pause and experience life at its essence. With Hiroyuki Arakawa, photography is more than a medium, it is a living meditation, a conversation with the extraordinary, and the beginning of a warm, new relationship between artist, gallery, and viewer.