Setsugo (Joining Together)—A

From 1978, Setsugo (Joining Together)--A is among the earliest works in Hamanishi's mezzotint practice, addressing the theme of connection and union through abstract geometric forms. The Japanese title setsugo carries connotations of bonding, adhesion, and the bringing together of separate elements into a unified whole. Hamanishi renders this concept visually through forms that meet, overlap, or interlock within the composition, their interaction described by the continuous tonal gradients that mezzotint uniquely provides. The "A" designation marks this as the first in a series exploring variations on the joining theme. In 1978, Hamanishi was still establishing the technical vocabulary that would sustain his career, and this early print shows him defining both his subject matter and his method simultaneously, finding in the mezzotint plate a medium perfectly suited to his sculptural imagination.