Seen: LABYRINTH (remix)
Who: 森山大道 Daido Moriyama
Where: Akio Nagasawa Gallery, Ginza
When: March 16 - May 26 2019
These huge prints of Daido Moriyama’s contact sheets were exhibited at BLD gallery in Tokyo a few years ago when the same-named photobook was published. While they’re not exactly “pure” contact sheets in that some are edited from what looks to be different rolls of film, there is a lot to see and enjoy.
Contact sheets, published or exhibited, can be tricky. Some might approach them as an instruction manual- - but I think it’s extremely important to understand that this work denies the specific “good shot” of any one frame. The pieces on display in this exhibition are more about the entirety of the moment of shooting and interacting with the subject than a treasure hunt.
I firmly believe that photography is more interesting than worrying about “hit rates"or limiting oneself into thinking the point of it is a struggle to get two or three "great shots” a year. While I’ve never really figured out how to view or understand Moriyama’s pictures I respect the completeness in which he’s intertwined photography and living. This show is a fantastic visual experience and should not be missed.