The ongoing photo series 'Borrowed Scenery' evolved in 2025 from material I photographed in 2007 in Japanese cities and surrounding landscapes — a process I have continued ever since. My work there explored the Japanese ambivalent relationship with nature: the belief that nature is animated and spiritual, alongside its deliberate manipulation to reveal its true beauty.

The title refers to the Japanese concept shakkei—literally “borrowed landscape”—a tradition in garden design where elements of the surrounding environment, such as mountains, trees, rivers, or clouds, are integrated into the composition. In 'Borrowed Scenery', I translate this principle into photography, where composition, scale, and perspective transform seemingly ordinary scenes into new spatial experiences.