Encounters

This is a series of photographic works that captures scenes created by intervening in everyday landscapes with a recurring, ring-shaped object. It documents the poetic dialogue that emerges between this artificial symbol and the unadorned reality of its surroundings.

A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This conceptual art photograph captures multiple white, gear-like rings placed within a dense growth of daffodils. The rings emerge from amidst the plant's long, blade-like green leaves, with a few white daffodil blossoms also visible in the composition. This creates an intervention of repeating geometric forms within the specific, organic context of the flowering plants.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents a site-specific art intervention where a single white, gear-like ring is hung around the base of a metal water faucet. The faucet is fixed to a weathered concrete wall that shows cracks and mineral stains, and the scene is lit by direct sunlight, casting a sharp shadow of the ring and faucet.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This close-up photograph captures two white, gear-like rings positioned on a piece of light-colored driftwood that is resting among large, dark, wet rocks at the seaside. The composition uses a shallow depth of field, bringing one ring into sharp focus while the second ring and the ocean in the background remain soft-focused. This site-specific photograph documents the interaction between the manufactured objects and the natural coastal materials.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents a large-scale art intervention where ten white, gear-like rings are arranged on a concrete block wall that is covered with a dense layer of dark green creeping vines. The repeating geometric rings are distributed across the textured, organic surface of the foliage, creating a pattern that juxtaposes the man-made forms with the living wall. This work of conceptual art is from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents a site-specific art intervention in front of a stacked stone wall at the seaside. A large number of white, gear-like rings are scattered on and within a chaotic mass of dry, tangled driftwood and branches, integrating the repeating geometric forms into the complex texture of the natural debris.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This is an angled photograph of an art intervention on a concrete block wall partially covered in a network of green, creeping vines. Seven white, gear-like rings are arranged at various angles on the textured surface, creating a direct juxtaposition between the repeating man-made objects and the organic growth.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents an art intervention where multiple white, gear-like rings are suspended from spider webs amidst the green foliage of trees and bushes. The rings seem to float at various depths and angles in the air, creating a composition that places the geometric objects within the complex, organic structure of the plant life.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph captures a site-specific art intervention on a sandy beach. Three white, gear-like rings are individually placed inside three human footprints that form a single line pressed into the damp sand. The composition documents the direct interaction between the repeating manufactured objects and the temporary imprints of a human presence.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph, taken from a high angle, captures a site-specific art intervention on a concrete sea wall. Two white, gear-like rings are hooked onto a thick, black rope that is tied to the edge of the pier. Below, the clear sea water reveals the sandy bottom. The composition documents the placement of manufactured objects within a functional, man-made coastal environment.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents an art intervention in a field of dry, brown grass. Multiple white, gear-like rings have been threaded onto a long, thin vine, which is then laid out on the ground in a meandering, circular path. This creates a deliberate arrangement of the repeating geometric forms within the natural landscape.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This is an angled perspective photograph of a site-specific art intervention at an outdoor water facility. Several white, gear-like rings are hung around a row of metal faucets that are mounted on a long, cracked concrete wall. The repeating placement of the rings on the functional objects creates a rhythmic, graphic pattern along the wall.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph captures a direct, top-down view of an art intervention on a vertical surface covered with dense, dark green creeping vines. Seven white, gear-like rings are arranged and suspended amongst the leaves, creating a scattered pattern of geometric forms against the organic texture of the foliage.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This close-up photograph captures a single white, gear-like ring hung on a small metal latch on the vertical wooden frame of an old window. The composition juxtaposes the clean, geometric form of the ring with the aged textures of the wood and frosted glass, and the soft curve of a white electrical cord to the left.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents a site-specific art intervention where two white, gear-like rings are placed on and amongst a length of heavy, rusted chain and a padlock lying on the ground. The entire scene is overlaid with the sharp, diagonal shadow cast by a fence, adding a layer of geometric pattern to the composition of industrial objects and manufactured forms.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph captures two white, gear-like rings of different data-sizes hung on the surface of a traditional Japanese sudare (bamboo blind). The composition juxtaposes the clean, manufactured forms of the rings with the natural texture and rhythmic, grid-like pattern of the woven bamboo.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This is a high-angle photograph of a site-specific art intervention on a set of outdoor concrete stairs and a landing. Multiple white, gear-like rings are scattered across the different levels of the weathered, grey concrete, with some green foliage visible at the edge of the frame. The arrangement creates a path of repeating geometric forms that follow the angular structure of the steps.

A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents an art intervention in an overgrown, untended area. Three white, gear-like rings are suspended from the thin, bare stalks of a plant, positioned against a background of dense green and brown weeds and discarded debris. The composition places the clean, geometric forms of the rings within a chaotic, wild environment.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This is a high-angle, top-down photograph of a site-specific art intervention on a concrete sea wall. Four white, gear-like rings are intertwined with a thick, weathered black rope that rests on the textured concrete at the edge of the clear sea, with rocks and sand visible beneath the water's surface.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This conceptual art photograph documents an intervention on a plateau overlooking the ocean. Two white, gear-like rings of different data-sizes are suspended from a mass of tangled, dry vines, and are arranged so that the smaller ring is framed perfectly within the center of the larger ring. This composition creates a visual tunneling effect, with the background showing the deep blue sea and a distant island.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This photograph documents a site-specific art intervention where two white, gear-like rings are placed on the cut openings of two thick, decaying bamboo stumps. The rings sit on the hollow, circular edges of the bamboo, surrounded by a forest floor of dry leaves and green plants, juxtaposing the manufactured geometric forms with the raw texture of the natural, cut bamboo.
A photographic artwork from the 'Encounters' series by Asahi Tanaka. This close-up photograph documents a site-specific art intervention where several white, gear-like rings are suspended within a spider web. A large spider with yellow and black markings is positioned in the upper left, resting its legs directly on the edge of one of the rings. The photograph captures the direct interaction between the manufactured geometric object and a living creature within its natural habitat.

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