Seen: Daido Moriyama: Dazai
Where: AM Project, Harajuku (map)
When: Dec. 20, 2014 - Feb. 23, 2015 (closed Mondays)
What: A homage to the Japanese writer Osamu Dazai through Daido Moriyama’s photographs. The pictures displayed range in terms of era taken but being Moriyama’s work, never in mood or tone. The prints range in a variety of sizes and papers- and all are exhibited firmly and clearly as objects. Laid bare this way, one will note layout notes written in marker indicating “up” on several of the images. Seeing his work large and unbroken down the middle by a page gutter is a treat. Certainly the unfinished rough-yet-cozy feel of the gallery space is a fitting venue for the photographs as well.
Moriyama fans will no doubt enjoy the addition of a stuffed 3D version of his famous dog photograph. This sculpture was for some time on display in the bookshop of the original BLD Gallery in Ginza but I last saw it in Moriyama’s office this past summer.
The press release states that this exhibition accompanies the publication of a new photobookDaido Moriyama: Dazai, which was released first at Paris Photo in 2014. It’s the fifth Moriyama book published by Bookshop M. The text in the original edition was published in English in an run of 1000. For this exhibition 350 more were printed with all text written in Japanese- the language being the only difference. There is an exceptional richness to its construction and the printing is exquisite.