Tomasz Gudzowaty - Hatje Cantz

An image of a page spread with two columns of black text on a white background. The text is an essay about the Japanese photography magazine Provoke. The left column is a personal reflection on its rebellious nature, while the right column, under the heading FORM, analyzes its photographic style of Are-bure-bokeh, which prioritizes emotion and sensory experience over technical perfection.

A page of text with two columns on a white background. The text is an essay about photography and tradition. The right-hand column has a large title, SUMO, and discusses the complexities of the sport.

A grainy, high-contrast black and white photograph of five people on a Japanese city street. Two women in kimonos and three men in white uniforms, possibly chefs, stand together. The harsh lighting and deep shadows obscure their faces, giving the scene an eerie, artistic quality.

A grainy, high-contrast black and white photograph of two wrestlers captured in a blur of intense motion. One wrestler is upside down in mid-air, being thrown by the other. The image is abstract and chaotic due to the significant motion blur, with the white figures starkly contrasted against the dark background.

A grainy, high-contrast, black and white photograph of the lower bodies of two figures standing side by side, likely sumo wrestlers. The larger figure on the left has muscular legs heavily wrapped in white bandages around the knee and ankle. The much smaller figure on the right stands with bare legs, wearing a mawashi.

A grainy, high-contrast black and white photograph from a high angle shows two sumo wrestlers mid-match, grappling inside a circular dohyō on a raised square platform.

A high-contrast, black and white diptych. The left panel shows a sumo wrestler in a mawashi, standing and looking forward. The right panel shows a busy street scene in Ginza, Tokyo, with tall buildings, cars, and a street sign for Ginza 6-chome. The image juxtaposes the traditional athlete with the modern city.

A grainy, high-contrast black-and-white photograph captures a sumo wrestler in a dynamic pose. He is bent forward, raising one muscular leg high into the air in a ritual stomp. In the background, a referee in a patterned robe and a digital scoreboard are partially visible.

A page of Japanese text formatted into two columns on a white background. The right column is titled SUMO in bold, capitalized English letters.

A heavily stylized, high-contrast black and white image of a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony. The scene, which has a grainy and glitched appearance, shows a bride and groom in formal wear surrounded by attendants. A large, ornate paper umbrella is held over the couple.

A high-contrast, grainy, black-and-white, close-up photograph capturing the intense moment of collision between two sumo wrestlers. The head and traditional topknot of one wrestler are pressed firmly against the massive chest and shoulder of the other, their bodies filling the frame in an abstract composition of form and texture.

A grainy, high-contrast, black-and-white photograph of a sumo wrestling ring from a high angle. Several officials in traditional Japanese robes are gathered in the center of the ring, known as a dohyō, appearing to be in a discussion. Other wrestlers are seated around the ring in the background.

A grainy, high-contrast black and white photo of a person's face on a book cover, with the title overlaid in thick, pink brushstrokes.

Tomasz Gudzowaty

Sumo

€ 58.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

Author: Tomasz Gudzowaty

July 2023, 432 Pages, 300 Photos

Paperback

184mm x 232mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5195-7

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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| Rebellion vs. Precision

The Polish photographer and filmmaker Tomasz Gudzowaty is actually known for his perfection—clear compositions, precisely chosen image frames, carefully considered down to the last detail. However, the approach to his Sumo series is completely different. For his photographic tribute to the Japanese national sport Sumo, Gudzowaty confronts his subject with the rebellious aesthetic of "are-bure-bokeh", which means rough, blurred, out of focus. This style developed in Japan in the 1960s as a countercurrent to the prevailing norm of photojournalism of the time. With the help of photography, Gudzowaty attempts to create a visual language that is able to capture documents beyond words. With the publication Sumo he presents a previously unknown side of his artistic work.

TOMASZ GUDZOWATY (*1971) is a portrait and documentary photographer and filmmaker. His work has been published in many magazines and newspapers, such as National Geographic and Vogue Italia. He has received numerous awards.