Experiencing Shinoyama Kishin’s Photography at the Museum
The photographer Shinoyama Kishin’s career spans over five decades. This exhibition, made up of approximately 120 of Shinoyama’s photographs, which were selected by the artist from his enormous body of work and printed on large panels, was specifically designed for the museum space.
As suggested by Shinoyama’s comment that “my theme is people that everybody knows,” portraits of famous people lie at the heart of the photographer’s practice. The luminous appearance of actors, singers, athletes, writers, artists, musicians, dancers, kabuki performers, and models are conveyed to contemporary viewers through Shinoyama’s photographs in magazines, photo books, and other media. It would be no exaggeration to say that because these works have been so widely circulated, they are seen as defining images of the era by viewers of all generations. Rather than pictures that are the size of a handheld book, these photographs, measuring in the meters, promise to evoke vivid memories and transform the exhibition space into a venue for reunions and new encounters.
GOD The deceased
STAR The celebrities
SPECTACLE Dream worlds that take us to another dimension
BODY The body undressed - beauty, eroticism, struggle
ACCIDENTS Disaster 11 March 2011 - Portraits of the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake
Exhibition Catalogue
THE PEOPLE by KISHIN, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 2012
