White Room Gallery | A Profile

<BODY> <CENTER> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="82%"> <TR> <TD ALIGN="CENTER"> <P ALIGN="justify"> <font face="Verdana">“A white room evokes feelings of simplicity, of innocence, and purity,” says Eiko Fukuhara, owner of WHITE ROOM GALLERY in West Hollywood, California. “It is the place where photographs can emerge and be seen after their long voyage through the dark room. I wanted to create a place where you can view and enjoy photographs without being distracted, and to make this a comfortable, welcoming place to everyone who loves fine art photography.” </font> </P> <P ALIGN="justify"> <font face="Verdana">Founded in 2001, WHITE ROOM GALLERY has served as a springboard for a number of wonderfully talented photographers, both American and from around the world. Eiko has given premier exhibitions of important work by some of Japan’s leading contemporary artists, like Daido Moriyama, Shomei Tomatsu, Jun Morinaga and Shigeichi Nagano, as well as given American audiences their first glimpse of a large number of gifted emerging photographers: Hiroshi Watanabe, Rolfe Horn, Hisashi Kagawa, Ken Rosenthal, Intae Kim, and many more. </font> </P> <P ALIGN="justify"> <font face="Verdana">For over a decade Eiko worked closely with professional photographers in the advertising industry, and carefully developed a discerning eye and critical expertise for finding quality photographic images. She opened the gallery to convey her profound appreciation and love for this vital medium. “I want to share the sensations and joy I feel when looking at a fine print,” she says. “Pictures provide a kind of evidence for events and experiences in our lives we might otherwise forget. It is a real pleasure to explore these feelings with people, to talk about an image with someone I don’t know, and to discover that it evokes similar feelings in them.” </font> </P> <P ALIGN="justify"> <font face="Verdana">WHITE ROOM GALLERY focuses primarily on work by Asian photographers, and other artists who make photographs that evoke an emotional response, tell a story, or just overwhelm you with their spectacular beauty and simplicity. “We have a concentration of Japanese photographers,” Eiko explains. “The notion of photography as a fine art is not as established in Japan as it is in Europe or here in America. By giving more exposure to Japanese and Asian photographers, I can provide the recognition that often opens the door for them in their native country.” </font> </P> <P ALIGN="justify"> <font face="Verdana">Eiko has mounted a number of innovative new shows at her gallery. One unique exhibition, which she called, “Inspirations and Interpretations,” had different photographers trading and printing one another’s negatives. This was a wonderful example of how each artist brings his distinctive personal vision to the darkroom. Another exhibit showcased contemporary artists who work with historic alternative processes and materials. There are more pioneering shows slated for the future, which she holds in surprise. </font> </P> <P ALIGN="justify"> <font face="Verdana">“At some point when I was collecting photographs I realized that a lot of the work I was drawn to was becoming unaffordable.” Eiko says. “I wanted to create a place where people could find stunning, museum-quality work that they could afford. Most of the photographs I show and have here are very reasonably priced, with excellent potential for price appreciation. I want my clients to be able to discover pictures that they love--that they can’t live without, and hold their long-term value. They can find photographs at WHITE ROOM GALLERY they can take home with them--that become part of their lives.” </font> </P> <P> <i><font face="Verdana"> <a target="_blank" href="assets/CA42-White%20Room.pdf">View Article in PDF format.</a></font></i></P> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </CENTER> </BODY>