Ulana Switucha | Torii

(book launch and exhibition at Blue Lotus Gallery 15 November - 14 December 2025)

Hong Kong–based Canadian photographer Ulana Switucha spent ten years journeying through Japan’s quiet, lesser-travelled landscapes, photographing its most iconic and sacred gateways.

First appearing in Japan around the 10th century, torii evolved from simple wooden structures into the iconic forms seen across the country today. They mark the transition from the secular to the sacred, serving as enduring symbols of reverence for the Kami: deities believed to dwell within the natural world. Architectural and symbolic, these gates embody reflection, balance, and the harmony between humanity and nature, and today stand as enduring symbols of Japan’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

Like many Hong Kong residents, Ulana Switucha is captivated by Japan. Yet her decade-long journey is uniquely devoted to photographing its torii. Over the years, Ulana Switucha has developed a deep familiarity with these gates, portraying them as quiet sentinels amid seas, coastal shores, and snow-covered terrain.

Her approach emphasises minimalism and stillness: through careful use of negative space, soft natural light, and long exposures, she distils each scene to its elemental forms — wood, stone, water, and sky — allowing the gates to emerge as meditative focal points. Suspended between permanence and impermanence, presence and absence, the photographs evoke a contemplative space, inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and experience the quiet beauty of these places.

“When I encounter a gate in a natural setting, I slow down, observe the world, and reflect. I notice the soft colours of sakura, the brilliance of autumn leaves, the scent of forests, or the gentle sound of waves. Each experience becomes a meditation, and the gates act as prompts for stillness and presence.”

The book and limited edition prints are available at the gallery.

About Ulana Switucha

Ulana Switucha is a Canadian-born photographer now based in Hong Kong, who has worked throughout Asia for over 30 years. Working in both colour and black and white, her simple, often minimalist compositions reveal a deep awareness and connection with her subjects, whether in landscape, portrait, or documentary work. Influenced by a Japanese aesthetic, her recent work reflects an evolving minimalist style and contemplative sense of peace.

”When creating a photograph, I amdrawn to the light and shape of a subject. If only for a brief moment there is a clarity and sense of awareness that dissolves distractions and brings silence. Light plays with line and form to create shadows, drawing my eye into tones, lines, and curves.I seek simplicity and graphic quality that clears the visual clutter. Whether landscape, portraiture, or documentary, I the essence of the moment and share an expressive and compelling image.”

She has received numerous international accolades, including First Place in Architecture and Design at the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards and inclusion in the 2025 PhotoLucida Critical Mass 50. Images from her Torii series have also won awards, including the Prix de la Photographie, Paris. She contributed to the book In the Heart of the Metropolis: Yaumatei and Its People, published by the Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong, and her work has appeared in numerous fine art photography magazines. Ulana’s photographs have been exhibited in Hong Kong, Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States.