'I set up while it was still dark, waited for dawn to approach, and took the photograph just as the first light appeared.' —Eiji Ohashi
With nothing else in the visible distance, a vending machine – a staple of the Japanese landscape – asserts itself, illuminating with a gem-like brilliance. This captivating image by Eiji Ohashi (b. 1955) was taken at dawn following a snowstorm with temperatures dropping below minus 20 degrees Celsius. ‘The machine is standing there completely on its own with no other vending machine nor convenience store to be found anywhere within ten kilometres,’ he describes, ‘but every now and then, a car pulls up and someone buys a drink from it. The vending machine waits there patiently, ready for these moments.’ For his ongoing Roadside Lights series, Ohashi travels around his home country to photograph vending machines, capturing the affective qualities of hope and resilience. The Japanese artist has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Moscow International Foto Awards (2016), photo-eye Best Books (2017) and the Special Photographer Award at the 34th Higashikawa Awards (2018).
Exhibition install of After Dark at Sapporo Art Museum, Hokkaidō, 2021.
Courtesy of the artist.
Exhibited
After Dark, Sapporo Art Museum, Hokkaidō, 27 February - 11 April 2021, another
Literature
E. Ohashi, Roadside Lights Seasons: Winter, Tokyo: Case, 2020, n.p.
2020 Chromogenic print, mounted. Image: 114 x 152 cm (44 7/8 x 59 7/8 in.) Frame: 121 x 160 cm (47 5/8 x 62 7/8 in.) Signed in ink, printed title, date and number 2/2 on an artist label and a Certificate of Authenticity, both accompanying the work.
This work is number 2 from the sold-out edition of 2 + 2 APs. This image is sold out in all sizes and editions.