Scenes of Absence

Yuhki Touyama’s Scenes of Absence begins with the inevitable death of her grandmother. She has discovered a lump in her neck, and now her time is coming to an end. Touyama decides to move in with her to take care of her in her last months. There’s not much she can do for her: keep the house clean, spend time with her, and make sure her meals taste good. But her grandmother’s condition continues to deteriorate; she’s in pain and less able to care for herself. Caring for her takes its toll on Touyama, too. In the end, Touyama writes in her afterword, after her grandmother dies, she is filled with endless regrets and questions.

None of this, however, is to be found in the photographs that precede the afterword. Scenes of Absence consists of snapshots of trees and sidewalks and other people’s gardens and flowerpots in front of houses and a beautiful shadow pattern on a gray wall and other everyday trivial sights and scenes that Touyama took as she walked around the neighborhood to take short breaks from caring for her grandmother. Each of her snapshots, each small detail that caught her eye, no matter how insignificant, seems to glow with appreciation.