Masao Gozu
Encyclopedia
Born in Nagano Prefecture
in 1946, Gozu graduated from Toyo Art School (Tōyō Bijutsu Senmon Gakkō) in 1970. The next year he moved to New York, where he studied at and in 1973 graduated from Brooklyn Museum
Art School. There he photographed people looking out of windows. These photographs are carefully made, with perspective correction. They constituted his first solo exhibition, at O. K. Harris Works of Art in 1980. A second series (1976–81) is of a view, with framing precisely fixed, into the window of Harry's Bar (later renamed Harold's Bar). A third series is "264", identically framed views of 264 the Bowery
, occupied by a succession of the destitute and derelict.
Gozu's work has been shown in the Ginza
Nikon Salon
as well as in galleries in New York. He won the 10th Ina Nobuo Award
.
In December 1990, he won Le prix special du jury, Mois de la photo 90, Paris.
While Gozu continues to show his photography in Japan, Europe and the United States, since 1984 he has also been reconstructing windows from old buildings. He sees this as an evolving aspect of the same aesthetic as his photographs. While his photographs have frequently employed windows as the frame for the subject, with his sculpture he has taken this idea one step further, by making the window itself his subject.
In 1988, Gozu showed for the first time both sculpture and photographs at O. K. Harris Gallery in New York. He photographed his sculptures installed at different locations in Brooklyn
, Queens
, and New Jersey
. Each of the five images represented a component of the Go Dai
(a Buddhist concept of the five elements that shape the physical world). These include Sea, Sun, Wave, Fire and Cloud. The windows were situated in a specific location at a particular time of year so that the photographs of the windows reflected the sun between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center
. He sees these compositions as symbolic of Niten (two gods). Sun became part of the K & B Plaza sculpture collection in New Orleans, and was later moved to the New Orleans Museum. Cloud became part of Martin Marguiles’ sculpture collection in Florida.
Gozu continues work on this stage and has had a variety of shows at O. K. Harris in New York and elsewhere. Highlights of these shows include:
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
in 1946, Gozu graduated from Toyo Art School (Tōyō Bijutsu Senmon Gakkō) in 1970. The next year he moved to New York, where he studied at and in 1973 graduated from Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
Art School. There he photographed people looking out of windows. These photographs are carefully made, with perspective correction. They constituted his first solo exhibition, at O. K. Harris Works of Art in 1980. A second series (1976–81) is of a view, with framing precisely fixed, into the window of Harry's Bar (later renamed Harold's Bar). A third series is "264", identically framed views of 264 the Bowery
Bowery
Bowery may refer to:Streets:* The Bowery, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City* Bowery Street is a street on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.In popular culture:* Bowery Amphitheatre, a building on the Bowery in New York City...
, occupied by a succession of the destitute and derelict.
Gozu's work has been shown in the Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
Nikon Salon
Nikon Salon
is the name given to exhibition spaces and activities run by Nikon in Japan.The Ginza Nikon Salon opened in January 1968 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nippon Kōgaku . This was later augmented by the Shinjuku Nikon Salon and the Osaka Nikon Salon...
as well as in galleries in New York. He won the 10th Ina Nobuo Award
Ina Nobuo Award
The is given annually by the Nikon Salon, an organization of exhibition spaces in Japan that is sponsored by Nikon Corporation.The award was started in 1976; it is named in honor of Nobuo Ina, a photography critic who headed the Nikon Salon from 1968 until his death in 1978.The award is given to...
.
In December 1990, he won Le prix special du jury, Mois de la photo 90, Paris.
While Gozu continues to show his photography in Japan, Europe and the United States, since 1984 he has also been reconstructing windows from old buildings. He sees this as an evolving aspect of the same aesthetic as his photographs. While his photographs have frequently employed windows as the frame for the subject, with his sculpture he has taken this idea one step further, by making the window itself his subject.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Each of the five images represented a component of the Go Dai
Five elements (Japanese philosophy)
One may encounter two kinds of five elements philosophy in Japan. One is called, in Japanese, gogyō , having its backgrounds in the Chinese five elements, and the other is called godai . Godai is usually regarded as a Buddhism term in Japan, with certain influences from Hinduism. The following...
(a Buddhist concept of the five elements that shape the physical world). These include Sea, Sun, Wave, Fire and Cloud. The windows were situated in a specific location at a particular time of year so that the photographs of the windows reflected the sun between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. He sees these compositions as symbolic of Niten (two gods). Sun became part of the K & B Plaza sculpture collection in New Orleans, and was later moved to the New Orleans Museum. Cloud became part of Martin Marguiles’ sculpture collection in Florida.
Gozu continues work on this stage and has had a variety of shows at O. K. Harris in New York and elsewhere. Highlights of these shows include:
- Seven Reconstructed Facades, February, 1991
- Eleven Reconstructed Windows (The 25th St. Series, 1992), September, 1993
- Reconstructed Facades (276 W. 118th St., New York, NY), January, 1996
- Reconstructed Facades (23-25 W. 137th St., New York, NY), January, 1999
- Reconstruction—Black and Red, January, 2005
- Stream (Pond Eddy, NY), March, 2009
Books by Gozu
- In New York (Feb. 1971–Nov. 1980). Self-published. 1981.
- In New York (Feb. 1971–Dec. 1984). Self-published. 1985.
- In New York (Feb. 1971–Apr. 1990). Self-published. 1990.
- New York. Tokyo: Advertise Communication, 1990. ISBN 4-90052-02-0. Captions (place and time) in English, texts by Ivan Karp and Kōtarō IizawaKotaro Iizawais a Japanese photography critic, historian of photography, and magazine editor.Born in Sendai, Miyagi in 1954, Iizawa studied photography in Nihon University, graduating in 1977. He obtained his doctorate at University of Tsukuba....
in Japanese and English.