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Kiyoshi Niiyama "Keishō (Forms)"
Studio 35 Minutes
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Kiyoshi Niiyama
Studio 35 Minutes is pleased to present the exhibition “Keishō (Forms)” by Kiyoshi Niiyama, opening on Wednesday, September 24.
On view will be original prints made by the artist himself before and after the war.
Kiyoshi Niiyama was born in 1911 in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, as the son of a farming family. After graduating from Tokyo Denki School (today’s Tokyo Denki University), he went on to work at the RIKEN Institute.
He began photographing in 1936 at the age of 25, just after starting his career. Soon after Niiyama picked up a camera, Japan plunged into the Second Sino-Japanese War and then the Pacific War. Under wartime conditions, photographic expression was strictly restricted and dominated by reporting and propaganda, making it difficult to continue photography as a hobby.
After the war, Niiyama published his work by submitting it to photography magazines and contests. He was also an enthusiastic mentor, teaching amateur photographers about shooting techniques and printmaking.
Niiyama’s photographs are not aimed at social commentary or criticism; instead, they focus on the form and texture of the subject itself. Rather than imposing meaning, he sought to strip it away and look purely at the beauty of light and form. His images use no special techniques or manipulations—they are straightforward photographs—but while they depict reality, they somehow seem contiguous with the unreal. This is where Niiyama’s distinctive fascination lies.
In 1969, Niiyama tragically died in an accident at the age of 57, but he left behind a vast archive of photographs and documents. Because he had sent all of his prewar photographs back to his hometown in Ehime, they survived the air raids on Tokyo and remain preserved to this day.
Niiyama’s work has been increasingly recognized in recent years and is now held in the collections of institutions such as the Getty Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Gallery of Art in the United States. From January to March of this year, his work was also featured at the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art in his native Matsuyama.
On view will be original prints made by the artist himself before and after the war.
Kiyoshi Niiyama was born in 1911 in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, as the son of a farming family. After graduating from Tokyo Denki School (today’s Tokyo Denki University), he went on to work at the RIKEN Institute.
He began photographing in 1936 at the age of 25, just after starting his career. Soon after Niiyama picked up a camera, Japan plunged into the Second Sino-Japanese War and then the Pacific War. Under wartime conditions, photographic expression was strictly restricted and dominated by reporting and propaganda, making it difficult to continue photography as a hobby.
After the war, Niiyama published his work by submitting it to photography magazines and contests. He was also an enthusiastic mentor, teaching amateur photographers about shooting techniques and printmaking.
Niiyama’s photographs are not aimed at social commentary or criticism; instead, they focus on the form and texture of the subject itself. Rather than imposing meaning, he sought to strip it away and look purely at the beauty of light and form. His images use no special techniques or manipulations—they are straightforward photographs—but while they depict reality, they somehow seem contiguous with the unreal. This is where Niiyama’s distinctive fascination lies.
In 1969, Niiyama tragically died in an accident at the age of 57, but he left behind a vast archive of photographs and documents. Because he had sent all of his prewar photographs back to his hometown in Ehime, they survived the air raids on Tokyo and remain preserved to this day.
Niiyama’s work has been increasingly recognized in recent years and is now held in the collections of institutions such as the Getty Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Gallery of Art in the United States. From January to March of this year, his work was also featured at the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art in his native Matsuyama.
Schedule | Sep 24 (Wed) 2025-Nov 1 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | 1 drink order (¥400-) | ||||
| Venue | Studio 35 Minutes | ||||
| Location | 5-47-8 Kami Takada, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0002 | ||||
| Access | 3 minute walk from the North exit of Araiyakushi-mae Station on the Seibu Shinjuku line; From the North exit of JR Nakano Station, take the Kanto bus towards Egota Station and get off at Kamitakada Shogakko. The venue is a short walk from there. | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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