Hiroshi Sugimoto stays true to his reputation. As he takes photography through the eyes of a large format, the effect is so consuming that it overwhelms your vision. One can hardly describe how space is encopassed in the four corners of the prints. The sizes are evidently larger, and are executed magnificently.

The Dioramas and Portraits investigate the irony of photographing inanimate objects that mimic life itself. These are so odd and compelling. The paradox of the existence of documented objects through photographs reminds me of Barthes' Camera Lucida—we live in a society in which the private is consumed regularly in the public. As photography reverses the course of the thing, we are lead to his concept of "Photographic Ecstacy".

His Seascapes are photographs of vast panoramic bodies of water. The series almost gave me sea sickness and tricked me into thinking that my feet were not firmly planted on the floor of the museum. It made me realize how much water is out there and what it would feel like to be surrounded by it—no land in sight.

The Sea of buddhas is documentation of an impressive collection. As I was going through the whole wall of bodhisattvas I found that some of the photos were not aligned. I lost my train of thought and mostly focused on the flaws of the installation instead of contemplating the "afterlife." Although it's account of history is impressive and the photos are marvelous, I felt the execution of this piece was the weakest of the works on view.

The Theater pieces are one of the most important works on display. I was anticipating to see this body of work at the beginning of the exhibition. To me, these photos are iconic in the realm of "conceptual photography." On a side note, Sugimoto prefers to be called a "pre-postmodern modernist" rather than a conceptual photographer. But more importantly, the Theater photos transcends the essence of reality. The focus of each photograph is the Theatrical detail of a cinema while on the center is a brightly-lit screen that is blank. One ponders on the questions pertaining to what has been? or what will be? The cinematic subject becomes a searing blank abstraction -- almost the antithesis of filmic art.

I found the blurred Architecture pieces very intriguing. Sugimoto tests the focal length of his large format and finds out that "superlative architecture survives the onslaught of blurred photography." I came to investigate what he meant by "superlative architecture" and how it related to photography. I realized that the connection could be found in the relationship of light and shadow. I then concluded that his concept of superlative architecture is defined by the shape/form of an object and its relationship with time and the passing of light. I saw architecture in a whole new light.

His photographs of the models indicating mathematical forms were a bit cerebral in my opinion. Since the forms are scientific models, and calculated, the photographs would naturally be seamless. He mentions, "art resides even in things with no artistic intentions". His flawless photographs of the figures, the mathematical equations labeled at the bottom - where again, portraits of man's quest for constant scientific exploration.

I found some flaws in the site preparation of the exhibition, but the trip was worthwhile. I love visiting the de Young and walking through the contemporary exhibitions and garden sculptures. I also always make it a point to go inside James Turrell's installation. For some reason though, I always find flaws in their site preparation. However, Sugimoto's reputation as a photographer with the highest technical ability makes any flaw in the exhibit seem like a miniscule detail.

In the exhibition, It is obvious that Sugimoto continuously challenges himself in revealing the passing of time in one click of the shutter. He possesses immaculate compositional precision, creating concepts in aesthetics that are both scientific and provocative.

More images can be viewed at http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com