MODERN MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

The Modern Masters of Photography: Japan, is the only portfolio of this kind ever made, featuring the unique work of 12 internationally renowned Japanese photographers. Some of these legends are no longer with us. Each print has been donated by the photographers for a limited edition portfolio to benefit Asia Initiatives to support sustainable development initiatives through SoCCs. Each print in the portfolio is individually signed, numbered and presented in a custom designed anodized aluminum portfolio case, colored steel blue, with silk printed MMoP logo. These archival prints were digitally printed with Epson Pigment Ink technology on 13 x 19 in. (A3+) Hahnemühle FineArt GmbH Photo Rag™ 460 g/m2 and are guaranteed for 100 years.

To view or purchase the portfolio, email info@asiainitiatives.org or call 646-360-4459.

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS AND THEIR WORK

MASAHISA FUKASE (1934-2012) - NAYORO, 1977

Fukase’s series was inspired by the photographer’s mourning for the unattainable past. The photo features ravens silhouetted against a stark, wintry sky, evoking traditional sumi-e calligraphy.

EIKO HOSOE - KAZUO OHNO BREATHING IN THE SPIRIT OF SHOHAKU SOGA

Hosoe visually documents legendary butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno. Hosoe highlights Ohno’s mastery of dance as well as his own appreciation for the subtleties of the human body.

YASUHIRO ISHIMOTO (1921-2012) - JOY OF COLOUR, 2002

In this photograph, Ishimoto focuses on themes that convey the transitory essence of life, including clouds in constantly changing formations and fallen leaves soaked by the rain.

KIKUJI KAWADA - ATOMIC BOMB DOME, STAIN, CEILING, HIROSHIMA

In high-contrast monochrome film, Kawada captured scenes and symbols of places that were embedded with the memory of violence, embodying a deeply critical message about the nature of nationalism and violence.

DAIDO MORIYAMA - STRAY DOG, MISAWA 1971

Moriyama used harsh contrasts in a grainy, raw, and unfocused manner to depict a dog encountered in 1971 on the streets of Misawa, Aomori Prefecture near a U.S. Air Force base.

SHIGEICHI NAGANO - MONK OF KITA KAMAKURA, 1950

Shot during the American Occupation of Japan, this photo illustrates an intersection and tension between Japan’s traditions and progress in postwar Japan, symbolized by the monk and the speeding train.

TADAYUKI NAITO - BLUE LOTUS

Naito’s photo depicts blue lotuses, a legendary sign of peace and hope for the spirit and mind.

TOKIHIRO SATO - PHOTO-RESPIRATION 1998 YURA #340

In his photo, Sato uses a large-format camera fitted with a neutral-density filter, enabling him to walk around his subjects and create a long exposure image that explores ideas of time, space, and transience.

TOSHIO SHIBATA - YUNOTANI VILLAGE, NIIGATA PREFECTURE

Shibata explores the development pressures in Japan causing the natural environment to be ravaged as concrete. Shibata explores these sites and the juxtaposition between the finite landscape and the infinite ability of man to impose on that landscape.

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