Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai at Japan House London Closes 18 October
Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai is currently on display at Japan House London until 18 October, featuring two photographers from distinct generations. Kawada Kikuji, who is approaching 100 years old, presents works spanning from the 1950s to today, including his notable 1965 series Chizu (The Map), which captures the aftermath of Hiroshima. As a founding member of the VIVO collective, he is known for his innovative 'are-bure-boke' style. His exhibit includes a projection area and a round table showcasing publications such as The Last Cosmology. Meanwhile, Iwane Ai, born in 1975, shares her 2018 series Kipuka, highlighting Japanese immigrant communities in Hawaii, alongside A New River, created during the 2020 Covid pandemic, which expresses personal sorrow. The installation, designed by Hiromitsu Konishi, enhances emotional depth through dimly lit spaces.
Key facts
- Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai is on view at Japan House London until 18 October.
- The exhibition is organised by the Japanese photography festival Kyotographie.
- Kawada Kikuji's series Chizu (The Map) was published as a book in 1965, twenty years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
- Kawada co-founded the VIVO collective with Eikoh Hosoe and Shōmei Tōmatsu and helped develop the 'are-bure-boke' aesthetic.
- Iwane Ai's Kipuka, shot in 2018, focuses on Japanese immigrant communities in Hawaii and the o-bon festival.
- The song 'Fukushima Ondo' featured in Kipuka comes from the area devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident.
- Iwane's A New River was shot during the 2020 Covid pandemic and is underpinned by the death of her sister.
- Spatial designer Hiromitsu Konishi created the installation, which uses the circle as a motif.
Entities
Artists
- Kawada Kikuji
- Iwane Ai
- Eikoh Hosoe
- Shōmei Tōmatsu
- Hiromitsu Konishi
- Florent Michel
- Naoki Urasawa
- Hisakatsu Yokoyama
- Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre
Institutions
- Japan House London
- Kyotographie
- VIVO collective
- PGI
- 1854 Photography
- Photographic Society of Japan
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Hiroshima
- Hawaii
- United States
- Fukushima
- South Kensington
- Nagasaki
- Tokyo
- New York
- Maui
- Futaba
- Tōhoku