Photographer Michael Yamaoka showcases women as goddesses.
Photo: Michael YamaokaMichael Yamaoka loves women. He is also a photographer, and you can see both passions on view at Atlantic Gallery in Chelsea this month, in New York City’s Chelsea.
Each of his prints show idealized natural settings twofold. First, they are fantastic views on nature, whether it be fjords or intertwining roots. Second, they all showcase a beautiful woman blatantly posing, showing off their milky skin and acrobatics in extreme poses for the male eye.
His lens does not shy away from detail. In one print, the camera dives deep into the rapids of a wild waterfall, inviting the eye to discover each turn of the currents fighting to get downstream. A nude stands forefront, yet to the right of the frame, holding a sheet ever so daintily in her extended arm. Her body faces the viewer, asking the eye to follow her arm and leg downstream, like the rapids.
Another work shows a cloaked nude (who needs a cloak and to be nude at the same time? Is it warm? Is it cold?) among gothic architecture. Her pose is directly mimicking a gargoyle type figure made of stone next to her. She is naked but defiant in the gloomy setting. She doesn’t cower from the menacing gargoyle but stands tall, commanding her own space.
There are a few departures from the woman-in-pretty-place outline, which include photo layering, with more beauties floating on top of scenes of cityscapes. It is as if the artist wanted to layer beauty on beatify, and bask in the gift of eye-pleasing nature.
To Yamaoka, these women are goddesses. The introduction states that he wanted to be, “in the presence of angels…of beings who inspire us with hope.” To me, it seems that the artist is fascinated with the beauty and strength the world can offer.
