Photographer Mark Vassallo's exhibition "Emptiness is Form" will open on June 5th at the gallery space "ART UP" on the second floor of the Isetan Shinjuku Men's Building.



Mark Vassallo is a photographer from London, England. Born in 1971, he studied fine art at Central Saint Martins before coming to Japan in 1992. Currently based in Tokyo, he works as a fashion photographer, creating advertising visuals for various companies, while also pursuing his own creative endeavors, including photography and ceramics, in his studio in Shirahama, Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture.

He draws inspiration from Japan's minimalist aesthetic. His flower photographs are taken with extreme zooms, delicately capturing the beauty and freshness of the flowers.





In recent years, Mark Vassallo has been working not only with photography, but also with ceramics. His hand-crafted ceramic collection incorporates natural elements, such as unique textures created by mixing white beach sand with glaze, and deep black hues created by incorporating charcoal from burnt trees.



The title of this exhibition, "Emptiness is Form," comes from the Zen philosophy that Mark Vassallo holds dear, and is based on the English translation of "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form," which means "Every form in reality is empty, and emptiness is the true form."

The gallery space will exhibit and sell a selection of monochrome photographs and a ceramic collection that focus on "shadow," a concept considered to be the good old Japanese aesthetic.