The standard account of postwar Japanese photography runs through a short list of men, and this exhibition simply replaces it with twenty-eight artists who were working the whole time. You move from Tokiwa Toyoko's 1950s Yokohama to Katayama Mari's staged self-portraits without the usual gaps, with photobooks treated as work rather than merchandise. If you care about photography, this is downtown's most substantial show.
What to expect
Prints hung alongside installation, photobooks, and printed matter, arranged to move between generations rather than strictly by date. Subjects range from everyday domestic observation to blunt reckonings with gender and the body, so tone shifts sharply room to room. ICP's galleries are compact and the show is dense; budget more time than the square footage suggests.
Good to know
- Take the F, J, M, or Z to Delancey Street–Essex Street; the museum is steps away
- Weekday afternoons are the quietest; weekends draw the Essex Market crowd
- Some works address the body and sexuality directly, worth knowing before bringing kids
- The galleries are on one level and step-free from the street entrance
- Pair it with the second photography exhibition running in the adjacent gallery
- Photobook readers should allow extra time for the printed-matter sections
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Common questions
How many artists are in it?
Twenty-eight, spanning from the 1950s to the present, including Ishiuchi Miyako, Kawauchi Rinko, Katayama Mari, and Yanagi Miwa.
Is there a catalogue?
Yes, a major Aperture publication accompanies the exhibition with essays, historical material, and a photobook bibliography.
Who curated it?
Pauline Vermare, Lesley A. Martin, and Takeuchi Mariko, presented in partnership with Aperture.
More this weekend
