Island of sand A 1991, printed 1992

Eiichi Tanaka is a photographer from Kumamoto in Japan. In 1991 he travelled to Australia and spent a lengthy period on Fraser Island, Queensland. The 'Island of sand' series is the result of these travels. Large black and white prints abstract the minimalist landscape of sand dunes and driftwood. The images have a calligraphic quality as areas of shade or a few branches protruding from a vast dune suggest mark-making and brushstrokes. There is also a sense of Zen and of Eastern mysticism in the air of solitude and contemplation. There is no evidence of human presence; the scenes are timeless and sublime.