Beneath the thickness of the night lies the blue of the sky
From November 7, 2025 to January 17, 2026, we are pleased to host a solo exhibition by the great photographer Sakiko Nomura (1969, Japan).
Sakiko Nomura explores the intimacy of her models in stark rooms, where the nakedness of the space mirrors that of the bodies. Her images are constructed from the ambiguity of shadows and light, where twilight, masculine, and feminine, day and night, merge. In this uncertain darkness emerges the intensity of a suspended moment. Is it the flash of a second, the duration of a silence, or the calm before the storm? Perhaps it is all of these at once—or none of them at all.
The exhibition brings together two sets of works: Night Flight , one of his rare color series never before exhibited in France, and Another black darkness , an enigmatic series of unique images of intensely deep black.
Night Flight, 2008 © Sakiko Nomura
What am I doing? I find myself naked, lying on the bed in soft darkness. The lamplight shines as if floating in the air. The silk sheets feel pleasant against my skin. Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, a woman holds a small camera. Who could she be? Beyond the camera, I see white skin. Black clothes. The sensual sound of a woman's voice. What could she be saying to me, here in my nakedness? The click of a shutter. She's saying something again. These soft sounds impress me with their elegance. They are close, yet seem to come from a great distance. I wonder what she's saying. The voice speaking is more than a sound. Or rather, like soothing music. And yet so vague. Something falls vaguely upon my eyes. It's as if a film as thin as a dragonfly's wings has been stretched between her and me. And yet, it's as strong as spider silk. How can this film be so strong? I don't know. The film simply can't be fragile. That's what I think. Again, the click of a shutter. The veil trembles slightly. I stare at my arm in front of me. The woman's voice fades into the distance. The film inevitably cuts through the light, sometimes merging with it. I'm transported into a world of chaotic darkness. And once again, I return to the world of light. But for a moment, I'm lost between the two .
Excerpt from Tatsushi Omori's essay titled Light in the Chaos , published in Night Flight (2008)
Night Flight, 2008 © Sakiko Nomura
Sakiko Nomura's work can also be seen from November 3 to 8 at the Hotel de la Louisiane as part of the Saint Germain Photo Festival , for the Room Service exhibition.
Press release