Tokihiro Sato came to photography through sculpture; his approach — with a focus on space, light and physical presence — reflects this background. Sato’s commandingly proportioned ‘Breath-graph’ works use the device of long camera exposure to record traces of human performance without depicting the body of the performer. This piece was shot in the functional, modernist foyer of the artist’s university campus, with a dark filter over the camera lens and the shutter left open for three hours. During this time, Sato used a penlight to make vertical gestures in the air as he moved through the space, exploring every visible platform within his physical reach. The artist’s movements were too fast for the camera to capture — only the strokes of light penetrated the filter. With this device, Sato was able to inscribe traces of his artistic gesture photographically, while reflecting on the transience with which humans occupy space.