Japanese Photography: Desire and Void

by Gerald Matt (editor), Peter Weiermair (Editor)

Pleasure and asceticism, openness to and aloofness from the world, the personal and the impersonal ... these and other related oppositions are the poles of Japanese philosophy and life, of a dialectic tension intensified through the encounter with western culture. The title Desire and Void underscores this polarity. "Desire" alludes to taboos surrounding sex and the body, issues of increasing importance in present-day Japan. The "void" represents the Buddhist concept of emptiness as timelessness but stands as well for a state of alienation that leaves an indelible mark on Japanese life today. Represented under the programmatical title Japanese Photography, Desire and Void are twelve contemporary photographic artists selected by curator Peter Weiermair for their extraordinary accomplishments in the medium in recent years - for works unique in both their formal and thematic power and characterized by an impressive command of advanced technologies. The photographers presented here exemplify the most innovative positions not only in current Japanese art but in the international art scene as well.

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction

175 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder if it is for once deliberate that the cover image is missing from this goodreads entry; Morimura's "Red Marilyn" is not exactly Safe For Work.



Rather an unfortunate choice for the cover. Although it is certainly eye-catching, I suspect more people are put off or too embarrassed to purchase it than are attracted. And those who pick it up for the nude probably put it back when they've paged through and seen all the photos of concrete canals and monochrome seascapes (the monochrome seascapes were my favorite).


Hiroshi Sugimoto, North Atlantic Ocean, Cliffs of Mother I

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I also liked Miwa Yanagi's complex and hyper-colorful depictions of arcades and department stores.


Yanagi, Aquajenne in Paradise

Other photographers included in this collection are Nobuyashi Araki, Naoya Hatakeyama, Noritoshi Hirakawa, Miyako Ishiuchi, Osamu Kanemura, Mariko Mori, Sakiko Namura, Manabu Yamanaka, and Toshihiro Yashiro.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 4 out of 5]

great collection of photos that show case the theme of "Desire" in their work. Nobuyoshi Araki photos in this one are great. The real stunners though are the the work of Noritoshi Hirakawa (featuring images of passion in the bathrooms), Yasumasa Morimura ( he takes on; in drag classic Hollywood pin ups), and Sakiko Nomura (dreamy B&W images).