Seen: Drunken Paradiseat Gallery Shuhari
Kenji Kawamoto has been continuing his ongoing Drunken Paradise series for several years now- most often lovingly composed from a comfortable distance with a 6x7 Makina medium format camera. This was his first time to exhibit close-up 35mm work from this series. As far as subject matter goes passed-out salarymen have long been the staple of Tokyo Street Photography but what separates Kawamoto’s pictures from the rest is hinted at in the title with his use of the word “Paradise”.
His approach isn’t one of exploitation or something motivated by any sort of cultural and ethical evaluation- perhaps its a rather a simple suggestion of bliss. The fact that one can lay asleep in the street and presumably wake up with iPhones and credit cards still in possession certainly reenforces both Tokyo’s reputation as a paradise of public order and or consideration for other people no matter how intoxicated they may be.
I asked him if any of his subjects had ever woken up angry after being photographed- he replied that no one has ever even waken up…
It should also be pointed out that Kawamoto has a really cool business card for a photographer.
Who: Kenji Kawamoto
What: Contax T3 / Fujifilm Natura 1600 film / awesomely large digital prints
Where: Gallery Shuhari, Shinjuku
When: March 13 - 30, 2014