About the artist:

Yasuomi Hashimura (橋村奉臣 Yasuomi Hashimura, known as HASHI, born 1945 in Ibaraki City, Osaka Japan) is a Japanese contemporary artist working in the medium of photography. In 1968, he emigrated to the United States and rose to prominence as a photographer in New York City. During that time, he was concurrently creating fine art photography, and published several books in 1989. His fine art work contextualizes ideas of memory and displacement and the exploration of time. His photographs become not only about the tangible but also what remains unseen. Throughout a long-running career he has made innovative work through a dedicated work ethic and philosophy. Hashimura has always sought to be original and unique in his artworks. If someone accepts it or understands it right away, he rethinks the work to see if it is too common. He is inspired by the Thomas Edison quote “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Overcoming many obstacles, he worked long days pursuing his dream. Hashimura understands the energy of positive thinking and believes that if you pursue something hard enough, even if it does not happen right away, one day it will come. He has focused his life on creating original artworks and inventing photographic techniques previously unseen. "How we perceive photographs is unique to each one of us," Hashimura explains. "As a photographer, it’s my challenge to help people see things in a way they haven’t seen them before, to take the time to think about the things they are constantly rushing by in their everyday lives." Even in Hawaii, Hashimura had many obstacles to overcome. He struggled to maintain his Visa and was very close to being expelled from the country. Then he met Francis Haar (1908-1997), a Hungarian photographer who had photographed the Emperor Hirohito of Japan and took photos of Maiko Kyoto. He also photographed Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and various marine women. Then a professor of Photography at the University of Hawaii, Haar hired Hashimura as his assistant, and helped him to get an extension on his Visa. During this time he attended community college in Honolulu, but preferred life experience to sitting in a classroom. Hashimura also worked freelance for United Press International and in the George Dean Photography Studio. Long days at additional odd jobs gave him the money to buy his own equipment, including a 4x5 view camera. He worked very hard at three different jobs to earn money and experience. By the end of his three years in Hawaii he was already well respected as a photographer and George Kurisu wanted to make him a partner in the business but Hashimura politely turned it down, knowing that his dream was bigger and he wanted to continue his journey. It was during his time in Hawaii that Hashimura met Eisho Okimura, a buddhist bishop that would influence his thoughts and philosophy related to his work. Moving to Los Angeles in 1971, Hashimura enrolled in night classes at the Art Center College of Design. However, he knew that he wanted to learn at a quicker rate, and soon dropped out of the program. He decided that school would become a hindrance, both financially and creatively. He has always believed that to be an artist it has to come from within. This organic energy is more powerful than just attending classes and doing assignments. After a few months in Los Angeles, he knew he had to move to New York in order to further his goals. At the time you could get a Greyhound bus ticket for $99 for 99 days to travel the country. He journeyed to New York and was promised a job with the James Moore Studio. Excited to finally achieve his goal, he returned to Los Angeles to pack his things. He planned to sell his car on a Monday for covering moving expenses. The Saturday before, his car insurance expired. And that Sunday, while turning into a church parking lot, his car was rear-ended. The other driver also didn’t have insurance and the car was totaled. His plan was delayed as he sought medical care in Japan for an injury related to the accident. Several months later, he returned to the States and purchased another bus ticket for New York City. “I knew no one,” he says. “But I was on my way.” New York In New York, Hashimura took a job on the night shift at a color lab. This position allowed him to pursue assistant photographer jobs by day. Work eventually followed with fashion photographer Chris Von Wangenheim. Hashimura was grateful for the job and the experience but knew that fashion photography wasn’t for him and instead he pursued still life jobs, learning quickly and becoming well known. In July 1974, Hashimura used his savings and a $5,000 loan to open Hashi Studio. Even though he only had a few clients at first, they believed in his work and creativity. Over the ensuing years, he would work with hundreds of high profile clients and Madison Avenue advertising agencies, developing a commercial photography business renowned for his iconic and elegant images. By the early 1980s, he had developed his signature style, “Action Still Life.” Described as 'fluid motion in a forever frozen instant of time,' his work gained considerable attention for his unique ability to bring vividness to liquid photography. Yasuomi Hashimura rose to prominence through his innovative perspective in the advertising industry. Within an incredibly competitive industry, he excelled at developing a special niche for himself. One of his first major breakthroughs was photographing a Trifari ad for the back cover of Vogue magazine in 1975 with Margaux Hemingway on the cover. The photographer he was working with could not get the lighting and composition correct and Hashimura stepped in, getting the perfect shot. He used his impeccable eye and timing to develop his own style focused on bringing a painterly perspective to liquid commercial photography. “Action Still Life” were comprised of moments that cannot be perceived by human eyes and only captured by super high-speed strobes that flash at 1/100,000 second or a millionth of a second. His groundbreaking original work “Cheers” showing the exact millisecond that champagne explodes from the bottle was chosen for the 50th anniversary poster of Esquire magazine. According to Hashimura, “From the perspective of the history of the earth, which is said to be 4.6 billion years, a human life is as short as the moments that the super high-speed strobes used to take “Action Still Life” flashes for. The length of time is very much relative. Regardless of how finely it is captured, each moment is packed with countless dramas and incidents.” In 1985, his work titled “Rainbow in Space” was created for WFUNA (World Federation of United Nations Associations) as a limited edition art print to accompany the commemorative stamp issue honoring the United Nations University. It was the first time a photograph had been featured and the posters were translated in seven languages. Previous selections for UN limited edition art prints have included such legendary artists as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol. He has shot ad campaigns all over the world, including in Paris and Tokyo. His extensive client list includes over five hundred of the world’s top brands, including Coca Cola, Remy Martin, Stuart Weitzman, Gordon’s Gin, Panasonic and countless others. During his career, art directors often sought him out for his ability to render each campaign with his own signature style, while still fulfilling the needs of the client.