We present yet another interesting project by Japanese photographer Haruhiko Kawaguchi. Planet News wrote earlier about Haruhiko’s project of couples being photographed in the vacuumed plastic bags. This time he takes pictures of couples in their bathtubs.
The main theme in Haruhiko’s photography is love: “I want to capture love as it really is and the bathtub is an ideal vehicle to encapsulate the vivid reality in my images. A grand theme in mankind is Love, and I, Photographer Hal, am challenging the majestic theme!”.
Further motifs that are visible in his photographs are the exploration of boundaries, domesticity and closeness. Both in “Flesh Love” and photos of couples squeezed in the bathtubs the question asked is “Where does one lover end and another begins?” as in the pictures their bodies are intertwined closely and occupy a very small space. Yet it raises another interesting question about the boundaries – “Are there any when people are in love?”
According to Haruhiko, love is the most important thing in this world and if we realized that, we would all have better lives: “Those in power are continually guilty of segregation and discrimination, can we realize peace under such conditions? You who are standing on the earth, no matter where you are, love the person in front of you. From two people to a group, a town to a community, a city to a country, from border to border, the ring of love shall prevail. I have started to create my ring of love in the city of Tokyo, believing that some day a world peace without segregation and discrimination will come true.”
© Haruhiko Kawaguchi
