Category: Japan

Between agitation and lightness, Fusako Kodama depicts the effervescence of modern Japan. From 1960 to 1980, she captures the atmosphere of places and the energy of people. 

Movement is constant; disorder occurs at times; gestures are carefree and instinctive: Fusako Kodama captures forward momentum. Her spontaneous photographs summon surprising perspectives where subjects appear slightly out of sync.

Between restlessness and lightness, Fusako Kodama portrays a certain effervescence of modern Japan. From 1960 to 1980, she captures the atmosphere of cities and villages inhabited by animated beings. Through her unusual and spontaneous framing, the prolific photographer casts a gaze that is both gentle and vibrant over twenty years of Japan.

1960-1980 is the first book by Fusako Kodama published in the West, where she is still relatively unknown. This work aligns with the ongoing efforts of Chose Commune, which aims to shed light on contemporary Japanese photographers beyond their country of origin.

78 special edition comprises a first edition book with one of two prints by Issei Suda — each on an edition of 15 — housed together in a handmade slipcase.
The prints have been authentified by the archive and are numbered and stamped on the reverse.

Print size: 20,3 x 20,3 cm
Image size: 19,3 x 19,3 cm

Rinko Kawauchi captures the simplicity of intimate and shared moments, revealing her life through the tenderness and quiet unfolding of time.

A blue sky. A shimmering river. The birth of a new life. These are the first three photographs from Rinko Kawauchi’s book “As it is”. This new body of work returns to Kawauchi’s earlier photographic focus on her personal universe through family, memory and time. This book presents a succession of mundane moments and gestures ―  a spider’s web, a bowl of rice, a small hand pointing at an insect ― along with more significant ones ― her daughter’s first steps, family outings, the passing of a close relative. The personal narrative of the book is punctuated by a photograph of a kitchen window witnessing the passing of the seasons, and short texts by Kawauchi herself interspersed in the sequence. The pages navigate between the inside and the outside, always within close distance as, through her unique eye, Kawauchi effortlessly catches the fleeting beauty of the in-between moments, telling the story of an ordinary family going through life just as it is.

This book was made in close collaboration with Japanese publisher torch press.

Issei Suda compulsively documents, with a great sense of humour, the daily life he shared with his daughter, wife, and dog.

Between 1991 and 1992, Issei Suda shot compulsively with a Minox camera, which is one of the smallest cameras there is. It is actually so small that it was commonly used for intelligence activities during the war. Issei Suda turned his lens towards the intimacy of his own home, documenting with a great sense of humour the daily life he shared with his daughter, wife and dog. The photographs presented in this book « Family Diary » — a title that Suda chose himself in the 1990s —, have never been published in book form before.

Issei Suda presents an almost absurd and automatic parade of Tokyo on Christmas Eve, capturing it with humor tinged with cynicism.

Holy Night presents photographs that Issei Suda took on the night of Christmas Eve 1991 in Tokyo.

« I wonder how many Japanese people actually think of Jesus Christ on Christmas. We just observe Christmas Eve by buying cake and bringing it home to eat; lovers spend it together as the most romantic night of the year. These kinds of customs have become the norm. I could suddenly play the part of the righteous Buddhist and call everyone out on it – You dumbasses, you aren’t even Christians – but it feels like it’d be a waste. » —  Issei Suda

This print is part of a series of 5 prints by women photographers that we have previously published: Mikiko Hara, Clémentine Schneidermann, Moe Suzuki, Irina Rozovsky and Deanna Dikeman.

This print is part of a series of 5 prints by women photographers that we have previously published: Moe Suzuki, Mikiko Hara, Clémentine Schneidermann, Irina Rozovsky and Deanna Dikeman.

Landscapes that are both intimate and spectacular, echoing the art of painting which Toshio Shibata studied. This book is designed as a journey, which literally unfolds, through artificial yet grandiose landscapes.

The book Painting reveals 16 unpublished colour photographs by Toshio Shibata, a Japanese photographer who is known for his rigorous and meticulous compositions. The representation of intimate yet spectacular landscapes — natural, and especially artificial — are at the core of Shibata’s work. In keeping with the tradition of painting that Shibata studied in his early years in 1968, this book celebrates the abstraction of beauty. It has been designed in a concertina format that can also be turned into a suspended object — just like a kakemono, a Japanese unframed scroll painting made on paper or silk and displayed as a wall hanging.

The raw, graphic, and colorful forms characterize Shun Kadohashi’s ceramics. Unearth 001 is the first book about his practice.

Unearth 001 is Shun Kadohashi’s first book. It was published to coincide with aato gallery‘s exhibition Shapes and Paintings. Unearth is a series of books exploring the practice and processes of artists working with ceramics.

The delicate, hand-carved lines characterize Chinoko Sakamoto’s work. She draws inspiration from the organic world and plant-based materials. Unearth 002 is the first book dedicated to her practice.

Unearth 002 is Chinoko Sakamoto’s first book. It was published to coincide with aato gallery‘s exhibition in October 2022. Unearth is a series of books exploring the practice and processes of artists working with ceramics.