Copyright ©Tomohide Ikeya All Rights Reserved
"Poetics of Water - Cultural Symbolism and Aesthetic Exploration
in Tomohide Ikeya's Work"
in Tomohide Ikeya's Work"
Engaging with the work of Japanese artist Tomohide Ikeya is an experience that draws one to its distinct beauty and profound themes.
Fascinated by natural phenomena, especially water, from a young age, Ikeya did not receive traditional artistic training.
His passion for art began with an interest in manga, anime, and Japanese cinema, which helped him cultivate his unique perspective.
Fascinated by natural phenomena, especially water, from a young age, Ikeya did not receive traditional artistic training.
His passion for art began with an interest in manga, anime, and Japanese cinema, which helped him cultivate his unique perspective.
Ikeya focuses on the relationship between water and humans, providing a contemporary perspective while sharing a deep cultural background
with other great Japanese photographers. His series, such as "WAVE," "MOON," and "BREATH," explore the interaction between water and humans,
addressing themes of "control" and "loss" within this context.
with other great Japanese photographers. His series, such as "WAVE," "MOON," and "BREATH," explore the interaction between water and humans,
addressing themes of "control" and "loss" within this context.
For example, "WAVE" depicts the struggle of humans as they exist as part of nature yet strive to resist it.
This series can also be interpreted as a metaphor for overcoming daily life challenges.
On the other hand, the "MOON" series addresses the themes of life and death, with water appearing as part of the creative and poetic process.
By incorporating elements like hair, Ikeya skillfully represents the continuity of life and the symbolic significance in Japanese culture.
This series can also be interpreted as a metaphor for overcoming daily life challenges.
On the other hand, the "MOON" series addresses the themes of life and death, with water appearing as part of the creative and poetic process.
By incorporating elements like hair, Ikeya skillfully represents the continuity of life and the symbolic significance in Japanese culture.
Ikeya's work is said to be strongly influenced by Shinto, where ropes serve a symbolic role in delineating the sacred.
The influence of Nobuyoshi Araki is also visible, deepening the themes of life and death through their dialogue.
However, Ikeya’s works consistently pursue elegance and fragility, never losing their pursuit of beautiful composition and form.
The influence of Nobuyoshi Araki is also visible, deepening the themes of life and death through their dialogue.
However, Ikeya’s works consistently pursue elegance and fragility, never losing their pursuit of beautiful composition and form.
In the "BREATH" series, Ikeya tackles the theme of underwater breathing, capturing the extreme expressions of models confronting their deepest fears.
His works, where sensuality and beauty coexist with fear, offer a powerful visual and emotional impact.
His works, where sensuality and beauty coexist with fear, offer a powerful visual and emotional impact.
Tomohide Ikeya's work stands out with its uniqueness and remarkable quality. Through this critique, one can immerse in his grand and unsettling creations,
reaffirming his significance in the Japanese art scene. The themes and aesthetics he explores continue to profoundly move his audience.
reaffirming his significance in the Japanese art scene. The themes and aesthetics he explores continue to profoundly move his audience.
Art curator and lecturer at the University of Zaragoza (Art History Department)
Alejandra Rodríguez Cunchillos
" Take a Deep Breath"
In a submerged environment, where lines and silhouettes are moulded by a liquid state, Japanese artist Tomohide Ikeya has built an artistic universe based on the relationship between the human body and water - through contrasting compositions that highlight the fragility of the human condition and question our relationship with this element.
Fascinated by the underwater world long before he ever started photographing, Tomohide Ikeya discovered a deep sense of euphoria and curiosity in the contrast between light and water. The result of an immersive experience, where the photographer found himself enveloped in liquid vastness, water became a central element in his work - above all because of the way it interacts with the human body. Despite being a fundamental aspect of life, water imposes restrictions on breathing - a condition that Ikeya explores repeatedly, confronting the public with its duality. Through this tension, the artist reveals, in series such as Breath, the multiple dimensions of human existence, at the same time as questioning them through compositions that, although they convey lightness, remain grounded in a feeling of discomfort and suffocation. His images capture not only the fluid beauty of water, but also its overwhelming force, capable of contouring figures and manipulating the lines of the body.
Fascinated by the underwater world long before he ever started photographing, Tomohide Ikeya discovered a deep sense of euphoria and curiosity in the contrast between light and water. The result of an immersive experience, where the photographer found himself enveloped in liquid vastness, water became a central element in his work - above all because of the way it interacts with the human body. Despite being a fundamental aspect of life, water imposes restrictions on breathing - a condition that Ikeya explores repeatedly, confronting the public with its duality. Through this tension, the artist reveals, in series such as Breath, the multiple dimensions of human existence, at the same time as questioning them through compositions that, although they convey lightness, remain grounded in a feeling of discomfort and suffocation. His images capture not only the fluid beauty of water, but also its overwhelming force, capable of contouring figures and manipulating the lines of the body.
© Vogue Portugal "The Oceans of Life" Issue, June 2025
Inaya Mussa
"Life vs Death with the Gasp of One Breath"
"Let's dive right into Tomohide Ikeya's edgy and, at times, deeply disquieting marine microcosm. Do human beings ever really have control over Mother Nature or is she the one who truly wields the sword of our imminent fates? Ikeya's strikingly melancholic photographic works straddle a very iffy precipice between dream and nightmare."
"Such a delicate dance exists between life and death. The almighty yin and yang. To truly grasp Ikeya's artistic motivation, it's helpful to remember that life on planet earth requires water. Just as essential to the existence of all living creatures great and small. The simple act of drawing in one breath, and then another, and another."
"The overarching themes that the multi-award winning lensman explores in his four multi-sensory photographic series — Ocean, Wave, Moon and Breath — can be likened to that of the magnetic ebb and flow of life's essence. Without the fear of death, human beings would likely not squeeze the marrow out of life. We live, knowing full well that death is part of the package."
"Tomohide Ikeya's intriguing thematic explorations serve as a bold reminder that it is a tremendous privilege to be ALIVE in spite of endlessly conspiring anti-life forces. Ikeya's body of work grabs hold of your retinas and lenses, taking them on a wild life-or-death ride."
Art Critic, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine
Elizah Leigh
Elizah Leigh
"Forgotten Breath, Remembered Life"
Breathing is a necessary condition for human life, but humans forget that they are breathing on earth. Just as they forget that they are breathing, they also forget the value and significance of being alive. When standing between life and death, human beings remember important things that they had almost forgotten before. Sometimes it is not possible to remember until the very end of life, and the moment one remembers, life is over. Without knowing death, you will never know life. The art of knowing death while still alive is a profound human experience.
Tomohide Ikeya has been diving into the water without oxygen cylinders and taking photographs of people in the extreme conditions of life and death under the theme of BREATH, which is far more inconvenient for people underwater compared to on the ground. While the models are usually underwater for 30 seconds to a minute, Ikeya spends up to two minutes underwater, during which time he swims with them and struggles with breathing difficulties while filming.Some people with physical disabilities volunteered to be models for the underwater photographs. By standing on the edge of life and death, human beings can more strongly realise the appreciation of life and the power of life to live in defiance of the oncoming forces of death. This is something we have all experienced once or twice in our lives, but we tend to forget about it as we become mired in the boredom of monotonous, repetitive days and the common sense of a grim world.
Ikeya has symbolically extracted the borderline between life and death by utilising the underwater environment, and has fixed it in her photographs. By looking at these photographs, you may be able to recall the power of life that lies dormant in your memory.
Wind Traveller Editor in Chief
Tsuyoshi Saeki.
Artist’s statement
My work explores "control" as a fundamental human desire. We strive to dominate nature, life, and others, but what does this desire ultimately bring us? Before becoming a photographer, I worked as a chef, witnessing firsthand how life is sustained by countless deaths. This experience became the foundation of my artistic perspective.
My encounter with scuba diving led me to recognize the essence of water—an indispensable yet untamable force. In underwater photography, precise technique merges with the unpredictability of chance, capturing the fleeting yet powerful presence of life.
My work reflects this duality, incorporating influences from ukiyo-e, Western classical art, and contemporary dance. By blending technology with tradition, I explore the interplay between life and death, control and release. Through water, I seek to question the essence of human existence—because it is the certainty of death that makes life shine.
私の作品は、人間の根源的な欲望である「コントロール」を探求します。私たちは自然や生命、他者を支配しようとしますが、その欲望は本当に何をもたらすのでしょうか。写真家になる前、私はシェフとして働き、生命が無数の死によって支えられている現実を目の当たりにしました。この経験が私の芸術観の基盤となっています。
スキューバダイビングとの出会いは、水の本質——人間にとって不可欠でありながら決して従わない存在——への気づきをもたらしました。水中撮影では、精密な技術と偶然が融合し、儚くも力強い生命の姿を捉えます。
私の作品は、この二面性を表現しており、浮世絵や西洋古典美術、コンテンポラリーダンスからの影響も反映されています。テクノロジーと伝統を融合させながら、私は生と死、コントロールと解放の相互作用を描きます。水を通して、人間の存在の本質を問いかけたい——なぜなら、死が避けられないからこそ、生は輝くのです。
