Naoki Oji Exhibition

Nikon Plaza Tokyo

Finished

Artists

Naoki Oji

Oji became interested in Taira Jima, one of the Tokara Islands, when he worked with photographer Hiroshi Oshima in the early 1970s. It was a great opportunity for Oji to clarify his position at a time when he started having growing doubts about taking snapshots of street scenes. With his familiar 80mm camera in hand, Oji left the streets for this solitary island far off in the ocean.

Freshly arrived on the island, Oji at first felt that it had been a mistake to come at all, for there was nothing to shoot. Perplexed, he walked around the island, taking photos of anything he saw, even helping the locals who were engaged in the construction of shrines and the demolition of abandoned houses.

By the time Oji used up the 230 rolls of film he brought to the island, he realized that photographs he had taken were different from any other works by photographers who were his senior. They showed the ordinary yet vernacular scenery of the island, something that he could only have captured at this very site.

Around 60 black and white photos are on view.

Schedule

Jul 14 (Tue) 2009-Jul 27 (Mon) 2009