Hiroshi Sugimoto Reflects on Apocalyptic Visions and Architectural Legacy in Hayward Retrospective

The Hayward Gallery in London is currently showcasing Hiroshi Sugimoto's most extensive exhibition, celebrating his photography career until 7 January. During an interview in Tokyo, the 75-year-old artist voiced his worries about artificial intelligence potentially outpacing humans and forecasted the imminent end of the world due to global warming. He also touched on his architectural endeavors, such as the 1996 renovation of the Goō Shinto Shrine in Naoshima and the establishment of the New Material Research Laboratory with Tomoyuki Sakakida in 2008, which created the Enoura Observatory. In 2009, Sugimoto founded the Odawara Art Foundation to support Japanese history through theatrical arts, reinvesting its profits. His photographic works include Diorama, Seascapes, Theaters, and Conceptual Form, and he describes his current artistic phase as a "second babyhood."