MASAHISA FUKASE
PRIVATE SCENES
Published by Atelier EXB in 2023
First edition
Book size 24.5 x 19.5 cm
192 pages
Hardcover
Language French
This publication by Masahisa Fukase shows for the first time the entirety of the ultimate Private Scenes series, in which the artist questions the relationship between photographer and subject. From 1985 onwards, he included himself in the scene photographed, whether in Paris, London, Brussels or in his daily life in Tokyo. He then paints lines of color onto these shots, creating surprising visual effects, and leaves the date visible on his photographs.
One of his latest series, entitled Private Scenes, features photographs taken by the artist over the course of a year in 1989 in different parts of the world, in which he included himself.
One of the most radical and original figures of his generation, Masahisa Fukase is a world-renowned Japanese photographer, notably thanks to his 1986 book The Solitude of Ravens, in which the crows photographed by the artist become the true symbols of his sadness and lost love as his marriage to his wife Yoko collapses.
This new publication features one of his latest series, entitled Private Scenes, which showcases photographs taken by the artist over the course of a year in 1989 in different parts of the world (Paris, London, Brussels, etc.) and in which he included himself, taking a photo of himself in front of his subject, thus questioning the relationship that develops between the photographer and the photographed. He then paints lines of color onto these shots, creating surprising visual effects.
Later, in the same series, he photographed scenes of daily life, this time in Tokyo, changing cameras and adding the date to his photographs, but continuing to represent himself in the image.
This book takes a comprehensive approach, reproducing for the first time all the photographs in this original series, which reveals a new dimension in Fukase's work, that of the artist grappling with his medium.
The photographs are accompanied by a text by Masako Toda, a Japanese specialist in photography, allowing us to rediscover the ultimate series by the artist, who himself declared in the final years of his career that he couldn't “[stop] putting himself in the picture”.
Several texts by Masako Toda, historian and specialist in Japanese photography, and Tomo Kosuga, director of the Masahisa Fukase archives, shed light on this iconic yet little-known series of his work.
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This publication by Masahisa Fukase shows for the first time the entirety of the final Private Scenes series in which the artist questions the relationship between the photographer and his subject. From 1985, he included himself in the photographed scene whether he was in Paris, London, Brussels or in his daily life in Tokyo. He then painted colored lines on these shots, creating surprising visual effects, and left the date visible on his photographs.
One of his latest series, entitled Private Scenes, which highlights the photographs taken by the artist, over a year, in 1989, in different places around the world and in which he included himself.
One of the most radical and original figures of his generation, Masahisa Fukase is a world-renowned Japanese photographer, notably thanks to his 1986 book, The Solitude of Ravens, in which the ravens photographed by the artist become the true symbols of his sadness and lost love as his marriage to his wife Yoko collapses.
This new publication shows one of his latest series, entitled Private Scenes, which highlights the photographs taken by the artist, over a year, in 1989, in different places around the world (Paris, London, Brussels, etc.) and in which he included himself, taking a picture of himself in front of his subject, thus questioning the relationship that develops between the one who photographs and the one who is photographed. He then paints lines of color on these shots, creating surprising visual effects.
Later, in this same series, he would photograph scenes of daily life, this time in Tokyo, changing cameras and adding the date to his photographs, but continuing to represent himself in the image.
This work chooses to be exhaustive by reproducing, for the first time, all of the photographs making up this original series, where we can see a new dimension of Fukase's work, that of the artist grappling with his medium.
The photographs are accompanied by a text by Masako Toda, a Japanese photography specialist, which allows us to rediscover the artist's final series, who himself declared in the last years of his career that he could not "stop putting himself in the photo".
Several texts by Masako Toda, historian and specialist in Japanese photography, and Tomo Kosuga, director of the Masahisa Fukase archives, shed light on this iconic and still little-known series of his work.