1st Composition

Composition (meaning): the act of combining parts or elements, a structure, something which is composed, an aggregate material, an artwork.
The presence, could be the past or future. Time is relatively irrelevant. The act of 1st composition could take place on Earth or another planet.
What do humans do when first setting foot on an uncivilized land? Surely, they would start by looking at the landscape before their eyes and walking on the ground beneath their feet. They would then start walking and deepen their understanding of that land. And to leave a footprint, evidence of their existence, they may leave objects or marks there, create and alter space. They will rejoice in finding out new phenomena and making new discoveries, and their curiosity will lead them to make many experiments. 
All of these behaviors lead humans, one of many entities in the universe and in nature, appear to be particularly unique. In their pursuit of harmony with nature and the land, they sometimes achieve results which are far from harmonious. Human behaviors and creativity sometimes become as contaminants to the universe and to nature, but humans from any age have never stopped in their attempts.
These photographs depicted humans attempts: the actions and causes driven by creativity. In other words, 1st Composition is a representation of the first acts of creativity upon reaching a new land, which are unique to humans, and the landscape which these acts resulted.

Artist Profile:
Yoshiki Hase was born in Kawasaki city, Japan. He was based in New York until 2007 and currently resides in Tokyo. His major solo exhibitions include 181° - New Dimensions of Nature Landscapes（2019, River City Gallery, Bangkok), DESSIN（2019, KANA KAWANISHI Gallery, Tokyo), Refuse to Make Them Happen (2018, G Gallery, Taipei), ENA (2018, KANA KAWANISHI Photography, Tokyo),  almost nature (2017, CourtYard Hiroo Gallery, Tokyo), and 181° (2014, Project Gallery, Tokyo). Group exhibitions include Photo Saint-Germain (2016, Galerie Zlotowski, Paris), and UNSEEN  (2014, Amsterdam).

The major awards Hase has received include “Lens Culture Emerging Talent Awards” (2018, with the series ENA), “Tokyo International Photography Competition” (2016, with the series First Composition), and “Winner of Single Image -DALI International Photography Exhibition” (2019, with the series 181°). He presented the series at the competition winners’ exhibitions at Singapore International Photography Festival (2016, Singapore), United Photo Industries (2017, New York), T3 Photo Festival Tokyo (2017, Tokyo) and KLOMPCHING Gallery (2018, New York).

Curator:
Alex Wong (FASS / VAVCD Faculty member)

Gallery Assistants:
Naz Kırelli
Ece Tarhan
Burak Dikilitaş
Bora Ömeroğlu