Seascapes by Hiroshi Sugimoto, begun in 1980 and continuing over four decades, documents bodies of water from roughly 250 global locations, from the Sea of Japan to the Arctic Ocean. The project uses the consistent motif of a bisected frame—half sea, half sky—to interrogate time, perception, and the essence of seeing.
When Sugimoto initiated the Seascapes, he was already known for projects like Dioramas and Theaters. Against the backdrop of rising conceptualism and a shifting postmodern art world, Sugimoto posits the sea as one of the few unchanging views on Earth, and his minimal compositions question the reliability of photography to capture specificity. Viewers are prompted to consider how an image of sea and sky, stripped of landmarks or figures, can simultaneously evoke a specific moment and a timeless, universal experience.
Technically, Seascapes is crafted using a large-format 8x10 view camera and black-and-white film. Sugimoto employs long exposures—sometimes lasting hours—and neutral density filters to blur movement and capture gradations of light. He prints his work using traditional gelatin silver processes in a darkroom, demonstrating meticulous control over tonal range and surface quality. The lack of specific landmarks or figures in the Seascapes, coupled with the elevated viewpoint, creates a sense of vastness. The precise horizon line, always centered, imposes a formal rigor, while subtle changes in weather, light, and sea texture introduce variation within the repetition.
Widely regarded as Sugimoto's signature body of work, Seascapes has been exhibited in major institutions such as MoMA and the Tate. Often referenced, the series brought attention to the philosophical potential of photographic minimalism.
