In Through a Lens: Michael Magers, Ronin Gallery invites you to join photographer Michael Magers on a decade of travels throughout Japan. In this selection of 24 black-and-white photographs, Magers composes poetry of light and shadow, of solitary subjects in richly textured settings. He stills the rush of daily life to capture the story of a moment, unfolding beneath the neon glow on a street of shuttered storefronts or within the private workshop of a master craftsman. This pause lends a solemnity to fleeting moments of beauty that might otherwise be overlooked–an artisan’s hand painting a strand of hair on a noh mask, the fall of light over the curvature of a sumo wrestler. Through Magers’ lens, these split-second narratives are united through a persistent tension between connection and disconnection that he experienced during his life on the road. The sentiment spans both private and public moments–whether glimpsed through an open window or captured in the crowded heart of a festival. This feeling of ‘intimate distance’ between the photographer, subject, and, ultimately, the viewer, threads throughout this collection of photographs. To complement Magers’ work, a small selection of ukiyo-e will be on view, paired with photographs that explore the themes of sumo, tattoo, ama (female free divers), and shokunin (craftspeople). In addition, a micro-exhibition of Meiji-period (1868-1912) photography will be on view.