What I Am Doing, No. 7 (The Shape of Paper) Possibly 1980 - 1987

Eiko Yamazawa, a Japanese photographer, created "What I Am Doing, No. 7 (The Shape of Paper)" using photography, a medium through which she challenged traditional representations, during a time when women's roles in art were often marginalized. Here, Yamazawa disrupts conventional photography by turning her lens towards the mundane. The crumpled paper, transformed by light and shadow, evokes an emotional intensity. The stark contrast of the black background emphasizes the fragility and transient nature of the paper, almost as a metaphor for life itself. Yamazawa, who was born in 1899, lived through periods of immense social change in Japan, experiencing shifts in gender roles as well as in artistic expression. Her work, especially this series, can be seen as a quiet rebellion against established norms, asserting her presence and vision in a male-dominated art world. The photograph invites us to contemplate the beauty found in imperfection, in discarded and overlooked elements, and it speaks to a broader dialogue about visibility, identity, and representation.