We’re absolutely loving the sculptural beauty of these white sand dunes photographed by Yoshihiro Makino during a trip to New Mexico in 2017. Staring at these otherworldly photographs, it’s easy to forget that you’re even looking at sand. With almost no rainfall throughout the year, the “White Sands” in winter are enveloped in crystals of dry gypsum; a vast and silent world that is seemingly devoid of life.
Yoshihiro Makino is a self-taught Japanese photographer who was born in Tokyo but is currently based in LA. Working around the world, he specializes in interiors, landscapes and documentary portraiture.
“Native American tribes such as the Apaches have lived on the land since the 1300’s,” says Makino, speaking about his series of sand portraits. He also notes that this is the site of the Apache Wars (1849 – 1886) between the U.S. army and various Apache nations led by Geronimo. But the land’s vicious past is nowhere to be seen in Makino’s minimalist frames, which focus on “the awe-inspiring blue and white landscape, the flora persevering in the silence, and the sands sculpted by nature.”
“Dune Portraiture” will be on display at artless appointment gallery in Tokyo from September 20 – October 15, 2018.
September 26, 2018 at 5:45 am
Yoshihiro Makino disappeared while taking these photographs and was never heard from again. Coincidentally, black helicopters were reported in the skies over White Sands that day.