Contemporary Japanese Photobooks

Photographs flourish on the printed page in Japan like nowhere else.  This exhibition transforms the Wolfson Gallery into a reading room featuring over 200 Japanese photobooks that are virtually impossible to find in the West, all produced within the last ten years.

A rich and varied book culture dominates production and distribution of photography in Japan, and this exhibition proposes that Japanese photography is best understood through its publications. These books are not easily categorised, as their content, format and design values are often unique.

The exhibition encourages a non-hierarchical approach to different kinds of photographic work, and visitors are invited to come to the Gallery more than once to make their own journeys through this wealth of material.

This exhibition is curated by photographer Jason Evans and Tokyo-based publisher Ivan Vartanian.