Tomoko Sawada “Mirrors”

Tomoko Sawada, Mirrors 1, 2009, Digital c-print, 4-3/8 x 7-1/16 inches

Tomoko Sawada, Mirrors 2, 2009, Digital c-print, 4-3/8 x 7-1/16 inches

Tomoko Sawada, Mirrors 16, 2009, Digital c-print, 4-3/8 x 7-1/16 inches

Tomoko Sawada, Mirrors 19, 2009, Digital c-print, 4-3/8 x 7-1/16 inches

Tomoko Sawada, Mirrors 27, 2009, Digital c-print, 4-3/8 x 7-1/16 inches

All Images Courtesy of the Gallery.

MEM gallery (now located in the NADiff complex) just closed a very interesting exhibition of Tomoko Sawada’s photographic works. Sawada, who is originally from Kobe but is now based in New York, continues her inquiry into the formative elements of one’s identity in a sequel to the 2008 series “Decoration” in which she examined the influence of street fashions on teenage identity. The latest show combines photographic imagery of a person shown “as is” with the mirror image of same person. The irregularities between the two are so subtle that the photographs initially appear to be double portraits of twins. The deceptively simple concept of the show is seconded in the minimalist appearance of the images.