2026 Aperture Gala

Since the 1970s, Hiroshi Sugimoto (born in Tokyo, 1948) has explored ideas of time, empiricism, and metaphysics through surreal and formalist photographs. He holds a BA from Saint Paul’s University, Tokyo, and a BFA from the ArtCenter College of Design, Los Angeles. In 2009, he founded the Odawara Art Foundation, Japan, to advance traditional Japanese and international contemporary performing arts; in 2017, the foundation opened the Enoura Observatory, which the artist designed. Sugimoto’s photographs are held in collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; and Tate Gallery, London. Recent solo exhibitions of the artist’s work have been held at Hayward Gallery, London (2023); Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (2020); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2018); and Palace of Versailles, France (2018). Sugimoto’s numerous awards include the National Arts Club Medal of Honor in Photography (2018); Centenary Medal, Royal Photographic Society (2017); Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2013); Praemium Imperiale (2009); Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography (2001); International Center of Photography Infinity Award (1999); Mainichi Art Award (1988); and a Guggenheim Fellowship (1980). Sugimoto’s work has been written about extensively, including in Aperture magazine, and in 2016, Aperture copublished Hiroshi Sugimoto: Black Box. He splits his time between Tokyo and New York.