Kenji Hirasawa

Since 2004, Kenji Hirasawa has been using a thermographic camera to create portraits that capture the non-figurative nature of people.

 

Thermal imaging cameras capture the infrared radiation emitted by our bodies and visualize this body temperature in color tones. A monitor connected to the thermal camera displays each part of the model's body temperature as thermal images: the temperature of the forehead, nose, lips, cheek, ears, neck, etc. These thermal images are imported into a computer, and the temperature information is written as text (figures) using software so that all temperature data can be displayed at once. These textual representations of body temperature are then printed onto mirrored stainless steel using a UV inkjet printer.

 

Technology allows humans to enhance their physical capabilities, taking human perception to another level. The visualization of the non-visual world challenges human perception and the value of the existing visualized world.

 

The author's intention is to capture the individual's soul and spiritual entity, just as portraiture has been understood in the past, focusing on body temperature as a sign of life and existence.

 

His portraits aim to capture contours—explosive, primary spots of color that speak to us of what we cannot see or understand.