counterpoint

Kazuhei Kimura

I had experienced certain symptoms since early childhood. Sensations that were essential to constituting who I am, yet which I felt were not worth sharing with others. For now, I will try listing them in the order I can recall:

・Colors and shapes appear distorted.

・Things I see feel either infinitely far away or extremely close.

・An image replays in my mind where parts that are black and white appear fluorescent.

・An image replays in my mind where hard, needle-like sharp objects and soft, mochi-like objects intersect.

・Mainly when lying down and looking up at the ceiling, the four corners of the room contract sharply.

・The faces of people in front of me appear enormous.

・The flow of time feels extremely fast or slow.

・During conversation, a certain phrase repeats rapidly in my mind.

These symptoms occurred routinely and naturally in my daily life, so I hardly ever spoke to those around me about them, and even when I finally did, they neither understood nor showed any interest. Yet, as a child, I think I felt more, or at least as much, a sense of being myself as the loneliness of not being able to share these experiences. In my daily life, I was rarely consciously aware of the symptoms, but they also never disappeared. And so, I grew up without knowing their true nature.

About seven or eight years ago, one day while browsing X (SNS), I came across a summary article. It was about a condition called "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome." The cuteness of the name, and some kind of premonition at the time, led me to click the link. As I read through the symptoms, almost all of them matched what I had experienced, and I was astonished. I can still vividly recall the shock I felt at that moment.

I learned that Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a condition where, despite no abnormalities in vision, objects appear a different size than they actually are, and that it manifests various other symptoms such as abnormalities in color perception and time perception. True to its name, it was named after Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and it seems that Carroll himself, as well as Ryunosuke Akutagawa, also experienced similar symptoms. I felt both relief and disappointment that someone else had experienced the sensations I thought were unique to me, but above all, I was happy that these experiences finally had a name. Reflexively, I wanted to create work about Alice Syndrome.

Although I wanted to, years passed without achieving it. At the time, I had just begun photography, and I had no technical skills or knowledge. If I were to visualize the aforementioned symptoms, painting, collage, or animation would probably be more suitable, and many artists, including Lewis Carroll and Jan Švankmajer, had already produced high-quality works using such media. So then, what could photography do? Days passed while I pondered whether there might be a method, beyond merely visualizing the symptoms. At that time, I realized that what mattered was not wanting to do Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but wanting to do "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome."

Although I was troubled by the symptoms of Alice Syndrome, I think I probably never actually suffered, and rather, I seemed to enjoy them. I have heard that there are people who do suffer, and perhaps my case is still mild. A fair amount of time has passed since I first conceived the idea. While I was dazing off, "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome" was featured in the media several times and became a more widely known condition. Until around age 26, the symptoms appeared routinely, but in recent years, the frequency of experiencing them has gradually decreased. Now, they appear only slightly, along with migraines, when I feel particularly fatigued. It feels as though the fairy I had carried on my shoulder for so many years has disappeared. It is sad to think that forgetting this would mean it never existed. I felt that I must preserve that sensation.

August 31, 2025 - Note added

It has been ten years since I began the idea of "creating a work about Alice in Wonderland Syndrome," and three years since I started presenting it in exhibitions. I have continued thinking about a single series, facing my body at each moment and incorporating new elements, and in a way, I have held five exhibitions presenting a sort of unfinished mass. At first, I chose to present only in exhibitions, thinking, "I do not feel like I can make this into a book," but through continued creation, the concept of a book gradually emerged, and I am pleased to be able to give it form in this way.

Since the beginning of the presentation of "counterpoint", there have been a few occasions when people have said things like, "You are sublimating pain and hardship into your work." Each time, I have asked myself whether that is really true, assuming the freedom of interpretation. Have I ever truly suffered, even once? In 2022, I spoke of the symptoms as fairies. I did not wish for them to disappear; rather, I wanted to build a good relationship with them.

This work is not meant to raise awareness of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, nor to appeal to society about its difficulties. And now, the main purpose is no longer to reproduce the symptoms in photographs. Starting from a precious, yet standard experience for me, which bears the very conspicuous name "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome," I create the landscapes I want to see and photograph them. I arrange them under a few rules in a white room (or in a book) and allow people to enter the space. Beyond the judgment of "understood" or "not understood," they can enjoy seeing and the enigma itself, and contemplate the differences in human perception. Perhaps this is what the work is about.

The production as "counterpoint" will probably reach a conclusion here. Yet from now on, I will likely be unable to imagine anything without the experience of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. This is because that state is my standard. Even if the symptoms no longer fully appear, I wish to continue facing the concerns in front of me, wrapped in this reliable enchantment.

Related Exhibitions

木村和平「石と桃」 会期：2025年11⽉20⽇（木）〜12⽉7⽇（日） 時間：13:00〜20:00（会期中無休） 会場：Roll（東京都新宿区揚場町 2-12 セントラルコーポラス No.105） アーティスト・トーク ゲスト: 姫野希美（赤々舎） 日時: 11月29日（土）18:00−19:30 入場料: 1,500円 + 1ドリンク制／500円 定員: 25名様（先着順・着席）

木村和平「石と桃」刊行記念フェア 会期： 2025年12月10日(水) 〜12月24日(水) 会場： 代官山蔦屋書店 2号館1階 アートフロア（東京都渋谷区猿楽町17−5 代官山 T-SITE） サイン会 日時：12月23日(火) 18:30〜20:00 場所：代官山 蔦屋書店 2号館1階アートカウンター 対象書籍：木村 和平『石と桃』（参加方法 詳細）

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Artist Information

木村和平

1993年、福島県いわき市生まれ。東京在住。第19回写真1_WALLで審査員奨励賞（姫野希美選）、IMAnext #6「Black&White」でグランプリを受賞。主な個展に、2022年「石と桃」（Roll）、23、24年「石と桃」（Roll / PURPLE）、25年「石と桃」（Roll）、2020年「あたらしい窓」（BOOK AND SONS / book obscura）、2019年「袖幕 / 灯台」（B gallery）。主な写真集に、『IRON RIBBON』（Libraryman）、『あたらしい窓』（赤々舎）、『袖幕』『灯台』（共にaptp）など。

Kazuhei Kimura

Born in Iwaki, Fukushima, in 1993. He currently lives and works in Tokyo. Kimura has received several awards for his photography, including the Jury Encouragement Award at the 19th Photography 1_WALL (selected by Kimi Himeno), and the Grand Prix at IMAnext #6 "Black & White" (selected by Takayuki Ishii).

His solo exhibitions include counterpoint (Roll, 2022) ,Counterpoint (Roll / PURPLE, 2023, 2024), The Other Side of the Window (BOOK AND SONS / book obscura, 2020), and Wing Curtain / Lighthouse (B gallery, 2019).

His photobooks include IRON RIBBON (Libraryman), The Other Side of the Window (AKAAKA), Wing Curtain and Lighthouse (both aptp), as well as HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 NINE STORIES (New Gallery) and NEW GENTLEMEN (IMA photobooks / GUCCI).

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Human Form

Erwin Wurm

One of Austria's most significant artists, Wurm has explored the defining characteristics of sculpture and expanded its fixed concepts by working not only with traditional sculptural materials such as plaster and metal, but also with a wide range of media including photography, clothing, and painting. 

Taking the human body--the most fundamental and primal motif of sculpture--as its point of departure, this book introduces Wurm's works through themes such as time, mass and surface, and the relationship between representation and abstraction. 

The contours of the "human form," shaped and influenced by everyday objects such as clothing and furniture, by the symbolic meanings of language, and by social ideologies, are fragile and mutable, containing within them the potential for constant transformation and freedom.

Wurm's major works 'Fat House' and 'Fat Car' have been permanently installed in Art Square, adjacent to Towada Art Center, which opened in 2010. The bloated house and car were inspired by the changes in the size of humans as the result of weight loss or gain and its similarity to the production process of sculpture in which the shape of the work alters with the addition of clay or plaster. According to Wurm, "we live our lives in a sculptural way every day." Our bodies constantly undergo change-- our weight increases as the result of eating and consumption, or [decreasing] by burning calories. Wurm also views the house, the car and furniture as an extension of the human body, adopting these as motifs in his work. These objects, perceived as real estate or assets, can also be considered as symbols of power, wealth and greed in a capitalist economy.

These works of art are distortions of these and can arguably be interpreted as ridiculing early consumerism typified by home or car ownership. Upon further investigation, it is apparent that there is also a connection between whether an interpretation of the form (body shape) of these works can be seen as interesting or amusing, and a challenging of perspectives such as "the norm" and "the ordinary" which have been etched in our minds. Through these works, Wurm questions through multiple lenses the notion of "what ought to be" that is accepted as the standard.

The work 'School' is based on an actual school in Austria. The shape is narrow and distorted form conveys a sense of claustrophobia.There are two rooms which can be assumed to be a classroom and the principal's room. From the desks, chairs and blackboards through to the clocks and lamps on display, all of these have been carefully distorted to achieve the same ratio as that of the building. Inside the room are displayed old teaching materials and propaganda posters. In contrast to the compact, bright and cute exterior of the school, the records on display inside will clearly be perceived as outdated and strange. According to Wurm, "knowledge ages," and in this work there is an overlapping of the physical sensation of confinement when entering the school building with the abstraction of the oppressive authority of the education system.

Through a wide range of approaches to the "human form"--the traditional and foundational subject of sculpture--Wurm has employed diverse materials and techniques to shape the surfaces of his works, skilfully etching into the viewer's perception one of sculpture's defining characteristics: its ability to create an illusion of mass.

The concepts often referred to by Wurm--mass and volume, skin and surface, weight and time, abstraction and representation--spill beyond the frameworks of genres such as three-dimensional sculpture and installation, expanding into a broader field of sculptural thought.

"I started to explore the notion of sculpture in relation to social issues. Can a sculpture transform social ideas ? Can a sculpture be embarrassing, for example? The idea was to treat sculpture as a tool and a medium for discussing our world from a different angle. I have been engaged in the expansion of the concept of sculpture for a long time." ──Erwin Wurm

Related Exhibiton

エルヴィン・ヴルム：人のかたち 会期：2025年4月12日（土） 〜11月16日（日） 時間：9:00 〜 17:00（最終入館 16:30） 会場：十和田市現代美術館（青森県十和田市西二番町10-9） 月曜日（祝日の場合はその翌日） ただし4月28日、5月6日、8月4日、8月12日は開館

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Life Studies

Aya Fujioka

Originally photographed in New York over a span of five years beginning in 2007, Life Studies is a photobook revisited over a long period, with its images continually re-considered, re-framed, and woven together, revealing layers of significance through the ongoing process of assembly. "They are reflections of my guts," Fujioka remarks, revealing her inner struggles and conflicts at the time.

Moving between the intimacy of the room and the restless streets, Fujioka captures the tremor of light, the presence of people, the solitude that drifts apart from society, and the fluid expressions of gender and desire. Yet the photographs themselves bear little trace of the photographer's personal identity; instead, they invite viewers to see them as moments that could be experienced by anyone in New York, regardless of gender, race, or identity. In doing so, Fujioka blurs the distinction between who stands behind and before the camera, the personal and the collective, the observer and the observed, the intimate and the anonymous, inviting viewers into a subtle and transitional narrative of urban life. Together, these form both a "study of life" and a "sketch of lives"--the vital current running through Fujioka's photographic practice.

The book opens on the streets, wandering through the city with the gaze of an immigrant, weaving together a multitude of scenes before arriving at moments of quiet, intimate confrontation. Because each photograph is a fragment--a snap of life--countless narratives arise, and time and existence are reconfigured anew. Through the paradox of the snapshot, Fujioka achieves a rich, layered form of expression.

Comprising 168 color and black-and-white images, the book concludes with a long text written by the artist herself. Her words drift between reality and fiction, resonating deeply with the photographs through their palpable sense of lived experience. Life Studies quietly yet profoundly illuminates the core of Fujioka's practice, where art and life are inseparable.

Related Exhibitions

藤岡亜弥 個展「Life Studies」 会期：2025年 9月26日(金)～11月8日(土)  時間：10:00～18:00 会場：KOSHA KOSHA AKIHABARA（東京都千代田区東神田３-2-3 写真弘社5F） 休廊：日、月 関連イベント： 藤岡亜弥 × 姫野希美　 2025年9月27日 (土)　15:00～ 藤岡亜弥 × 畠山直哉 2025年10月17日 (金)　18:00～

藤岡亜弥 出展 「東京都写真美術館 総合開館30周年記念 作家の現在　これまでとこれから」 会期：2025年10月15日（水）～2026年1月25日（日） 時間：10:00～18:00（木・金は20:00まで） 会場：東京都写真美術館 休館：月曜（祝休日の場合は開館し、翌平日休館）、年末年始

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Artist Information

藤岡 亜弥

1972年広島県生まれ。 日本大学芸術学部写真学科卒業。 台湾師範大学語学中心留学。2007 年文化庁派遣海外留学生としてニューヨークに滞在。2012 年に帰国後、2024年まで広島で制作活動を行う。主な作品に「さよならを教えて」「離愁」「私は眠らない」「川はゆく」「アヤ子江古田気分/ my life as a dog」「Life Studies」などがある。
エストニア、フィンランド、イギリス、フランス、スロバキア、ハンガリーなどを巡る1年半に及んだ旅の様々な出会いや経験をもとに制作した作品「さよならを教えて」により2004年にビジュアルアーツフォトアワードを受賞。2010年 「私は眠らない」で日本写真協会新人賞を受賞。終戦後70年が経過した広島のいまをとらえた「川はゆく」で 2016年度第 41 回伊奈信男賞受賞。2018 年林忠彦賞、木村伊兵衛写真賞受賞。
サンフランシスコ近代美術館、金沢21世紀美術館、東広島市美術館に作品が収蔵されている。

Aya Fujioka

Born in 1972 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Fujioka graduated from the Department of Photography at Nihon University College of Art in 1994. She later studied at the Mandarin Training Center of National Taiwan Normal University.
In 2007, she traveled to New York for further studies supported by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs. After returning to Japan in 2012, she was based in Hiroshima for several years.
Her major works include Comment te dire adieu, saudade, "I Don't Sleep", "Here Goes River", "Ayako Ekoda-kibun / My Life as a Dog", and Life Studies.
Inspired by encounters in Taiwan, she embarked on an 18-month journey across Estonia, Finland, the UK, France, Slovakia, and Hungary. Drawing from these diverse experiences, she produced Comment te dire adieu, which received the Visual Arts Photo Award in 2004. Her work "I Don' t Sleep" was awarded the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer' s Award in 2010.
"Here Goes River" , a work capturing present-day Hiroshima more than 70 years after the war, won the Ina Nobuo Award in 2016, as well as the Tadahiko Hayashi Award and the Kimura Ihei Photography Award in 2018.

Public Collection: 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Higashi-Hiroshima Art Museum

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