Exhibition/event has ended.
Tracing the Lineage of Japanese Straight Photography from the Late 1960s into the 70s
MEM
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Artists
Tokuko Ushioda, Shigeo Gocho, Yoshitaka Saji, Masao Sekiguchi, Kazuto Miura
In 2013, MEM held a solo exhibition in honor of the 30th anniversary of Shigeo Gocho’s passing. Now, a decade later, we have organized this exhibition to commemorate the 40th anniversary.
What was the nature of the style and phenomenon referred to as Konpora Shashin, the noteworthy subject of debate at the time and the movement with which Gocho’s works are associated? What kinds of ideas preoccupied the minds of these photographers as they captured their images? These tenderly portrayed everyday scenes faced fierce criticism from many who were deeply involved in the anti-establishment struggles of the times. Despite this, many similar expressions were born in the same period, and even today, with the proliferation of expressions, these images have an empathetic capacity that still resonates to this day.
This exhibition will examine the background of the development of a style of photography that emerged and attracted attention around the 1970s and its formation through the mysterious connections between students, assistants, and teachers at the Kuwasawa Design School.
The photographers included in this exhibition are Tokuko Ushioda, Shigeo Gocho, Yoshitaka Saji, Masao Sekiguchi, and Kazuto Miura.
Gocho and Sekiguchi collaborated to publish a photobook titled Hibi. Saji and Gocho ran a design office together, and Miura has continued to be involved in the management of Gocho’s legacy and the production of his prints until this day. Among these four, Tokuko Ushioda worked as an assistant. The presence of teachers such as Yasuhiro Ishimoto and Kiyoji Otsuji also influenced their works in various ways.
The first part of this two-part exhibition will feature photographs taken by these five photographers while they were still students at the Kuwasawa Design School, while the second part will focus on their defining works post-graduation. In conjunction with this exhibition, we will publish a catalog that will include texts by each photographer (Yoshitaka Saiji will be represented by his wife, Ikuko Saiji) and Shinzo Shimao and Kotaro Iizawa, as well as a chronological table of events and other materials.
What was the nature of the style and phenomenon referred to as Konpora Shashin, the noteworthy subject of debate at the time and the movement with which Gocho’s works are associated? What kinds of ideas preoccupied the minds of these photographers as they captured their images? These tenderly portrayed everyday scenes faced fierce criticism from many who were deeply involved in the anti-establishment struggles of the times. Despite this, many similar expressions were born in the same period, and even today, with the proliferation of expressions, these images have an empathetic capacity that still resonates to this day.
This exhibition will examine the background of the development of a style of photography that emerged and attracted attention around the 1970s and its formation through the mysterious connections between students, assistants, and teachers at the Kuwasawa Design School.
The photographers included in this exhibition are Tokuko Ushioda, Shigeo Gocho, Yoshitaka Saji, Masao Sekiguchi, and Kazuto Miura.
Gocho and Sekiguchi collaborated to publish a photobook titled Hibi. Saji and Gocho ran a design office together, and Miura has continued to be involved in the management of Gocho’s legacy and the production of his prints until this day. Among these four, Tokuko Ushioda worked as an assistant. The presence of teachers such as Yasuhiro Ishimoto and Kiyoji Otsuji also influenced their works in various ways.
The first part of this two-part exhibition will feature photographs taken by these five photographers while they were still students at the Kuwasawa Design School, while the second part will focus on their defining works post-graduation. In conjunction with this exhibition, we will publish a catalog that will include texts by each photographer (Yoshitaka Saiji will be represented by his wife, Ikuko Saiji) and Shinzo Shimao and Kotaro Iizawa, as well as a chronological table of events and other materials.
Schedule | Dec 6 (Wed) 2023-Jan 28 (Sun) 2024 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://mem-inc.jp/2023/11/21/jsp_e/ | ||||
| Venue | MEM http://mem-inc.jp/index_e | ||||
| Location | NADiff A/P/A/R/T 3F, 1-18-4 Ebisu Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013 | ||||
| Access | 6 minute walk from the East exit of Ebisu Station on the JR Yamanote and Saikyo lines. 7 minute walk from exit 1 at Ebisu Station on the Hibiya line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6459-3205 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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