A NEW RIVER ©︎ Ai Iwane
A NEW RIVER ©︎ Ai Iwane
A NEW RIVER ©︎ Ai Iwane
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Ai Iwane

岩根 愛

A NEW RIVER

10/10 Celebrating Contemporary Japanese Women Photographers

Supported by KERING’S WOMEN IN MOTION

Curated by
Lucille Reyboz,
Yusuke Nakanishi and
Pauline Vermare

HOSOO GALLERY

For many years, Ai Iwane has been drawn to ancient rituals, and to visualizing traces of the past. In her last series, ‘Kipuka’, as well as in this new “A New River’ which features cherry blossoms and the traditional native ‘Mai’ dance, Iwane uses mesmerizing colors and transparency to render the layers of history into the present, producing fantasies from the real world, what Cartier-Bresson called ‘L'Imaginaire d'après nature’. As she put it, walking through the cherry blossom trees, “the borders between the realms of nature and humans became blurred”. Iwane’s photographs transport us to an unknown and otherworldly dimension, that possesses the magical beauty of the Northern Aurora Borealis. In addition to photography, Ai Iwane uses film and projections to delve deeper into her stories, and to convey them to her audience in a highly sensorial way.
‘A New River’ is an enchanted and luminous journey to the north of Japan, a visit to the reassuring and sturdy presence of the cherry blossom trees in the heart of the pandemic. Through photographs and words, Ai Iwane shares her deep connection to nature, and to ancestral rites and beliefs.

HOSOO GALLERY

10:30 - 17:30

Admission accepted 30 mins before the venue closes.

Adult: ¥1,500
Students: ¥1,200 (Please present your student ID)

Closed: 4/12, 4/19, 4/26

All visitors to the exhibition need to make reservations in advance.
Click here for reservation

HOSOO GALLERY

HOSOO FLAGSHIP STORE 2F & 5F, 412, Kakimoto-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Subway Karasuma Line or Tozai Line ”Karasuma Oike” station. 2 min on foot from Exit 6

10/10 Celebrating Contemporary Japanese Women Photographers

Co-curated by Pauline Vermare, Independent curator and photography historian (formerly cultural director of Magnum Photos and curator at ICP, New York) and Co-founders/Co-directors of KYOTOGRAPHIE, Lucille Reyboz and Yusuke Nakanishi. Through the series shown in the exhibition, we see a reflection and perspective distinctive to each photographer, whether they are living and working in Japan or abroad. These powerful images will be presented in a scenography that embodies the KYOTOGRAPHIE spirit and gives each artist her own customized space, thanks to versatile and sustainable structure, conceived by Kyoto-based designer and architect Hiroyasu Konishi.

This exhibition is supported by Women In Motion, a Kering program that shines a light on the talent of women in the fields of arts and culture. Since 2015, Women In Motion has been a platform of choice for helping to change mindsets and reflect on women’s place and recognition across artistic fields.

Ai Iwane

Born in Tokyo, Japan. In 1991, she left for the United States to study at Petrolia High School, where she pursued an off-the-grid, self-sustaining lifestyle. She began her career as a photographer in 1996 after returning to Japan. In 2018, she released the photo book KIPUKA (Seigensha Art Publishing), focusing on the immigrant ties between Hawaii and Fukushima, which was awarded the 44th Kimura Ihei Photography Award and the 44th Ina Nobuo Award. She also served as associate producer for the documentary film A Song from Home (Bon-uta) (directed by Nakae Yuji, 2018 Telecom Staff), and continues to engage in fieldwork-like activities to discover and reconnect invisible connections in distant lands. In 2021, she was awarded the New Photographer Award at the 37th Higashikawa International Photography Festival. Her work includes her latest series A NEW RIVER (bookshop M, 2020), and books Journey to Kipuka (Ohta Publishing, 2018) and Hawaii-shima no Bon Dance (Fukuinkan Shoten, 2016).

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HOSOO GALLERY

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