“I see my work as little visual haikus, echoing the emotion that is behind, triggering feelings in the same way music can. I find real meditation within photography, to walking to get into a rhythm and from there begin to play and learn. I like to share the process, turning the invisible into a momentary snapshot and then go on.”
(Cupido, P. 2020)
I came across Paul Cupido’s work and was intrigued by his images and the ethos behind them. Cupido’s words above echo my own way of experiencing photography. Walking with my camera in Bushy Park is a form of meditation for me and one that has kept me going during these interesting times.
The piece that led me to research Cupido further was this image:
The following is taken from Cupido’s website, which I have noted for future reference.
Synopsis
The photographic work of Paul Cupido (b. 1972, Terschelling, the Netherlands) revolves around the principle of mu: a philosophical concept that could be translated as ‘does not have’, but is equally open to countless interpretations. Mu can be considered a void, albeit one that holds potential.
Cupido’s ongoing photographic and cinematic experiment ‘Searching for Mu’ is at once a personal and universal odyssey of our fleeting existence in relation to the profound emotional experiences of love, time, and death. Instead of presuming to be documents, his photographs point to transcendent reflections of the soul and of the intermingling of the microscopic and macroscopic.
Artist Statement
I aim to engage with the world with wide-open senses. My work is about the magic moments of life as well as its inconveniences. I want to take pictures, while forgetting about the process of photography, until I’m saturated with an existential sense of life. Every step I take begins with the notion of ‘mono no aware’: the transience of everything, the gentle melancholy of things, being sensitive to ephemera.
(Paul Cupido, 2021)
According to Cupido’s gallery’s website, the concept behind Mu, makyu, is explained:
‘In a quote by the famous Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, who lived 2,300 years ago: “An empty room will be filled with light because of its emptiness.” Mukayu also refers to ‘non-existence’, ‘not having a purpose’, or ‘things as they are’.’
‘Mukayu is part of the larger framework of Mu, a philosophical concept that could be translated as ‘does not have’, but is equally open to countless interpretations. Mu can be considered a void, but one that is full of potential.’
‘These concepts have been the spiritual guideline of the Dutch photographer Paul Cupido during his most recent travels to Japan, resulting in his latest series to be exhibited at IBASHO from 29 october 2020 to the 17th of January 2021.’
‘IBASHO means ‘a place where you can be yourself’ in Japanese. IBASHO is a gallery in Antwerp that opened her doors in March 2015, showing fine art Japanese photography ranging from works by well-known Japanese photographers to younger contemporary Japanese artists as well as works from Western photographers who were inspired by Japan. IBASHO hopes to show the versatility and beauty of Japanese photography in its many guises, from the raw and unpolished to the minimalist and still. As photo books are an important medium for presenting photography in Japan, IBASHO also deals in new and antiquarian Japanese photo books. Recently IBASHO has started publishing its own photo books together with Paris-based publisher the(M) éditions.’
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to visit this exhibition due to the travel restrictions at the time. I very much appreciated the video that was made of the exhibition and uploaded to the gallery’s website. The following are stills of the installations and pieces on display.
Cupido’s work had a strong bearing on my Invisible Trees images. The way in which they were printed and framed contributed in my choice of framing, mounting and the paper (Hahnemühle German Etching 310 fine art paper).
The concept of having blank space (gaps) is becoming a potential theme in my work. What isn’t there is just as important as what is shown.
The other significance of this exhibition highlighted how important producing work is. Seeing and experiencing printed and framed pieces in a gallery environment is so superior to just seeing it on a back-lit screen.
References
IBASHO. 2021. #42 Mukayu – Paul Cupido | 29 October 2020 – 17 January 2021 – Overview. [online] Available at: <https://ibashogallery.com/exhibitions/50-42-mukayu-paul-cupido/overview/> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
IBASHO. 2021. Works – #42 Mukayu – Paul Cupido. [online] Available at: <https://ibashogallery.com/exhibitions/50-42-mukayu-paul-cupido/works/> [Accessed 22 December 2020].
IBASHO. 2021. #42 Mukayu – Paul Cupido. [online] Available at: <https://ibashogallery.com/video/8-42-mukayu-paul-cupido-installation-video/> [Accessed 22 December 2020].
Paulcupido.nl. 2021. Paul Cupido. [online] Available at: <https://www.paulcupido.nl/> [Accessed 22 December 2020].
Paulcupido.nl. 2021. Paul Cupido. [online] Available at: <https://www.paulcupido.nl/contact> [Accessed 22 December 2020].
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 