Issei Suda - 78

Issei Suda
78 (Special Edition)

Published by Chose Commune, 2020
Size: 24 x 28 cm
128 Pages - 78 images
Hardcover
Languages: French, Japanese, English

The story of 78 is that of a promise, continued and kept after the death of photographer Issei Suda, to publish a book with a strong original and renewed approach to the photographs of the Japanese master. While the project took root in January 2019, 78 is the result of a selection of unpublished images from Suda's archives, carried out in November 2019. Taken between 1971 and 1983, these photographs have never been published to date.

Throughout this book, Suda's profoundly urban and surprising vision unfolds in contrasts and winks. The unexpected presence of animals or the mischievous glances of children bounce off street scenes as everyday as they are strange. From Tokyo to its neighboring prefectures, the photographer's universe is imbued with the dynamics of the city to restore—not without irony—all its breath. This same energy surfaces in the depth of the blacks and the sharp contrasts of Issei Suda, which make his work unique.

“It was only after we returned to France that I realized that Suda had died at 78, the exact number of images we intuitively selected that autumn afternoon. This book is a tribute to the great photographer he was.”

Cécile Poimboeuf-Koizumi