Ikuhisa Sawada and Stephan Keppel
Kanzan Gallery
Photocredits Kanzan gallery
WHITE COPIES
In 2025, Dutch artist Stephan Keppel, Tokyo-based photographer Ikuhisa Sawada, and Beijing-based publisher ori.studio presented the project WHITE COPIES at The White in Jimbocho, Tokyo. The project developed through two exhibitions initiated by Keppel’s residency in Tokyo and culminated in a documentation book.
The title WHITE COPIES derives from the toner-empty alert on the draft printer used by Keppel. While printing photographs taken by Sawada in the outskirts of Tokyo, the toner began to run low, bringing to mind the technical troubleshooting section of the printer manual. This experience of fading and missing elements in the printed image, combined with the resonance of the gallery’s name, led to the title WHITE COPIES. The resulting images evoke the appearance and disappearance of images, recalling the processes of classical darkroom photography. At the same time, the white image is connected to notions of purity and a desire for light.
During his residency, Keppel conducted research through architecture and urban structures, focusing on anonymous elements of the city such as blocks, windows, and public chairs. He also collected various types of printing paper, old books, and discarded rolls of paper discovered through his fieldwork as materials for future works. After the residency, he produced photographic prints in his Amsterdam studio based on images taken in Tokyo. In parallel, he continued to exchange and reconfigure images remotely with Sawada. Through the repeated process of photographing, printing, and re-photographing, the two artists have layered and transformed their images of the city.
The exhibition presents experimental works developed from materials collected in Tokyo, as well as a performative approach rooted in the artists’ collaborative process. It also features new print works produced since the 2025 exhibition. Through the intersection of different urban experiences, these works bring into focus anonymous and universal structures of the city that emerge beyond individual specificity.
In addition, the exhibition includes a dummy book of WHITE COPIES, scheduled for release by ori.studio this autumn, together with materials documenting its production process. By bringing these elements together, the exhibition offers an overview of the WHITE COPIES project as a whole.
10 – 27 September, 2026
Documentation: ori.studio
#on view / kanzan gallery
#on view / kanzan gallery is a program supporting exhibitions initiated by photographers and visual artists, including exhibitions marking the publication of photobooks, touring exhibitions, and experimental presentations. This exhibition marks the 15th edition of the program.
