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The Spirit of Avant-Garde Photography: Transforming “Nothing Much” - Shuzo Takaguchi, Nobuya Abe, Kiyoji Otsuji, Shigeo Gocho
The Shoto Museum of Art
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Shuzo Takiguchi, Nobuya Abe, Kiyoji Otsuji, Shigeo Gocho
In Japan in the 1930s, many works influenced by Surrealism were produced under the name of "avant-garde photography. In 1938, Shuzo Takiguchi (1903-79), together with other photographers and painters, founded the Avant-garde Photographic Society and served as its theoretical pillar.
Nobuya Abe (1913-71), a founding member of the Avant-garde Photographic Society, published a series of works in Photo Times magazine that echoed Takiguchi's discourse.
These works changed from the poetic expression of Surrealism to a photographic documentation of "new and honest harmony" found in "landscapes abandoned as useless in the city and the field. After the war, he inspired young photographers through his critical activities and pursued his own "avant-garde" expression in the documentary photography of his outings.
Around 1940, Kiyoji Otsuji (1923-2001) received a copy of "Photo Times" from the late 1930s, just as the avant-garde photography association was debating the subject, and he aspired to become a photographer under the profound influence of Takiguchi and Abe.
Initially, Otsuji worked mainly with photographic works of "objects" in the surrealist theory, but in the late 1960s, he gradually shifted his focus toward a more expressive style represented by "Nandemo Nenai Shashin," snapshots of everyday life taken casually, as part of the "Seiji Otsuji Laboratory" series.
Shigeo Gocho (1946-83) was one of Otsuji's students at the Kuwasawa Design School, and in 1967, at Otsuji's urging, he entered the photography department and eventually began his career as a photographer. Gocho called his photographic works "photographs on the edge of being overlooked. As he said, while capturing the ordinary scenes of everyday life that everyone has, the spirit of avant-garde photography that Takiguchi advocated may still be alive in his work.
The year 2023 marks the 120th anniversary of Shuzo Takiguchi's birth, the 110th anniversary of Nobuya Abe's birth, the 100th anniversary of Kiyoji Otsuji's birth, and the 40th anniversary of Shigeo Gocho's death. The hope is that visitors will trace the interactions and creations of these four photographers and feel the spirit of "avant-garde" photography that Takiguchi discussed, as well as its contemporary nature.
Nobuya Abe (1913-71), a founding member of the Avant-garde Photographic Society, published a series of works in Photo Times magazine that echoed Takiguchi's discourse.
These works changed from the poetic expression of Surrealism to a photographic documentation of "new and honest harmony" found in "landscapes abandoned as useless in the city and the field. After the war, he inspired young photographers through his critical activities and pursued his own "avant-garde" expression in the documentary photography of his outings.
Around 1940, Kiyoji Otsuji (1923-2001) received a copy of "Photo Times" from the late 1930s, just as the avant-garde photography association was debating the subject, and he aspired to become a photographer under the profound influence of Takiguchi and Abe.
Initially, Otsuji worked mainly with photographic works of "objects" in the surrealist theory, but in the late 1960s, he gradually shifted his focus toward a more expressive style represented by "Nandemo Nenai Shashin," snapshots of everyday life taken casually, as part of the "Seiji Otsuji Laboratory" series.
Shigeo Gocho (1946-83) was one of Otsuji's students at the Kuwasawa Design School, and in 1967, at Otsuji's urging, he entered the photography department and eventually began his career as a photographer. Gocho called his photographic works "photographs on the edge of being overlooked. As he said, while capturing the ordinary scenes of everyday life that everyone has, the spirit of avant-garde photography that Takiguchi advocated may still be alive in his work.
The year 2023 marks the 120th anniversary of Shuzo Takiguchi's birth, the 110th anniversary of Nobuya Abe's birth, the 100th anniversary of Kiyoji Otsuji's birth, and the 40th anniversary of Shigeo Gocho's death. The hope is that visitors will trace the interactions and creations of these four photographers and feel the spirit of "avant-garde" photography that Takiguchi discussed, as well as its contemporary nature.
Schedule | Dec 2 (Sat) 2023-Feb 4 (Sun) 2024 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥800; University Students ¥640; High School Students, Seniors 65 & Over ¥400; Junior High and Elementary School Students ¥100; Persons with Disability Certificates + 1 Companion free. | ||||
| Website | https://shoto-museum.jp/exhibitions/202zenei/ | ||||
| Venue | The Shoto Museum of Art https://shoto-museum.jp/en/ | ||||
| Location | 2-14-14 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0046 | ||||
| Access | 5 minute walk from the West exit of Shinsen Station on the Keio Inokashira line, 15 minute walk from the Hachiko exit of JR Shibuya Station. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3465-9421 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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