Kanako Sasaki

Remember: when you are upside down, your heart is above your head...

When I discovered this photograph, I just about flipped. I first saw it on the cover of the book "Dog Girl" by Heidi Lynn Staples, which made February's poetry bestseller list at Small Press Distribution. Completely and utterly obsessed with the cover (there I go again), I read the book at the first chance I could and was immediately drawn in by its lyrical humor and bouncy wordplay.

...and still, obsessed with the book's design, I googled Kanako Sasaki, the photographer who took the cover photograph 'Uniform' (2003). Obviously pleased with what I found, Sasaki's images are whimsical, clean and haunting. I am always eager to find art that is beautiful yet challenging at the same time. There's so much to imagine while glancing at these photos, and once you've spent some time with them, there is a world to enter, to explore and to settle into. The world is also a frightening one and the unsettling nature of some of the images makes me believe there is much to run away from, almost a threatening loneliness. However, I'm not there yet...as I am still very much enjoying these wondrous encounters and crisp landscapes.











(All images found on Kanako Sasaki's website and Gallery 10G's website.)