Scenes of Absence Yuhki Touyama

Yuhki Touyama's Nokosareta Fūkei (The Remaining Landscape) is a series captured during the time she provided at-home care for her late grandmother.

Taken during the confined period of the pandemic, these photographs were shot as a desperate form of respite during the brief moments spent running errands nearby. The collection features landscape images infused with instantaneous light and color. Interspersed among them is a single monochrome photograph, shot to visualize the emotional struggle of the grandmother who was confined to the house. The intersection of these two perspectives constitutes Nokosareta Fūkei.

The grandmother herself is never depicted in the photographs. The work clearly reveals the divergence in time between the caregiver and the cared-for. While declaring that no physical photographs of the grandmother remain, the series became a means for the photographer to continue a dialogue with her grandmother for the sake of those who are left behind. The book cover visually reflects this theme, showing color and monochrome images subtly layered and overlapping.

Touyama’s debut photobook, Kyōkaisen 13 (Boundary Line 13, 2008), was imbued with the sense of loss following the death of a friend. Likewise, Nokosareta Fūkei transcends sorrow, conveying the enduring themes of human consideration and continuous dialogue.