Ichiro Kojima “To the North, From the North”

Izu Photo Museum

Finished

Artists

Ichiro Kojima

This exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of Ichiro Kojima’s death. Born and raised in the northern city of Aomori, Kojima was the eldest son in a family that ran a toy and photography supply store. He learned photography under the influence of his father, and began to publish his work in photography magazines. His subjects were everyday landscapes on the Tsugaru and Shimokita peninsulas, but his work stood apart from the mainstream realism of that era and soon gained notice for its poetic and compositional sensibilities. With strong encouragement from the pioneering photojournalist Yonosuke Natori, Kojima mounted his first exhibition, Tsugaru, in Tokyo in 1958. Following this strong start, he moved to Tokyo in 1961 to pursue a career as a professional photographer, going on to present further exhibitions of work. However, having emerged on the scene with photographs of his home country, he now faced great difficulty to produce work in a new environment. After the death of Natori, his main supporter in Tokyo, Kojima returned to Aomori. From here he embarked on a new project in Hokkaido, but he began to feel ill after repeated exposure to severe conditions and sadly died at the early age of thirty-nine. This exhibition features his small photograph prints from his “Trump” series, along with works from his two major exhibitions and those which reflect his love of the North, shining new light on the short life of this artist.

[Related Events]
Panel Discussion
To Document the North: Considering Ichiro Kojima
Picking up on questions raised by the 2009 Ichiro Kojima retrospective exhibition at the Aomori Museum of Art, this discussion will examine the question of what “The North” meant to Kojima.

Participants: Hiroshi Oshima (photographer)
Keizo Kitajima (photographer)
Shino Kuraishi (professor, Meiji University)
Shigemi Takahashi (chief curator, Aomori Museum of Art)
Masashi Kohara (researcher, Izu Photo Museum)
Date/Time: September 28 (Sun.) 2:30–4:00
Place: Clematis no Oka Hall (near the museum)
Free (exhibition ticket required for entry), limited to 100.

Gallery Talk
A curator will provide commentary on the exhibition.
Date/Time: Saturdays at 2:15 (approx. 30 minutes)
August 30, October 25, November 15, December 20

Schedule

Aug 3 (Sun) 2014-Dec 25 (Thu) 2014

Opening Hours Information

Hours	10:00-17:00 Until 18:00 from April to Augast. Until 16:30 from November to January.
Closed	Wednesday Open on public holiday Wednesday but closed on the following day. Closed during the New Year holidays and in between exhibitions.
Notice	Closes at 18:00 in August, c at 17:00 in Sptember, October and at 16:30 in November, December.

Fee

Adults ¥800, University and High School Students ¥400, Junior High School Students and Under free.

Website

http://www.izuphoto-museum.jp/e/exhibition/147740120.html