The Metropolitan Museum of Photography undertakes various activities aimed at encouraging a spirit of creativity to explore the possibilities of photography and imagery, discovering photographers who possess promise for the future and providing a venue for new creative undertaking. Central to these activities is the "Contemporary Japanese Photography" exhibition, which is held annually with a different theme each time. For this exhibition, the twelfth of the series, the theme is "the street." The focus is on the place we know as "on the street," a place where we come into contact with the world. The theme is taken up by a group of contemporary artists in Japan exploring new perspectives and forms of creative expression in the current decade.
Photographers throughout the history of the medium have produced many outstanding images from "the street." This is place where we come face-to-face with reality, a place of unexpected encounters and discoveries, and it has enchanted many an artist. The artists showing their work in this exhibition do not just take photographs of the street. With the everyday environment we call "the street" as their point of departure, they consider today's world and explore their own position in it and then through their creative endeavors, attempt to change the worldview. By introducing contemporary artists via the key phrase "on the street," this exhibition attempts to give visual form to the atmosphere and the sensibilities of the world today.
Artists: Itozaki Kimio, Omori Katsumi, Kajitani Naoki, Tsuda Takashi, Hayashi Natsumi
*image (left)
'JPEG' five-star, 2012-13
© Kajitani Naoki
courtesy of the artist