Seen: Shinji Abe’s 2011, 2012
Where: 3rd District Gallery, Shinjuku, Tokyo (map)
When: July 15 - 23, 2014 (open 13:00-20:00)
Shinji Abe has the Shinjuku street scene on lock. 3rd District, an an artist-run photo gallery just a few feet from Shinjuku station’s C5 exit, is the realest of what’s out there in terms of constant and consistent black and white photography made in the streets in Tokyo. The members of this gallery hold frequent exhibitions of their photography- images reflecting their continual experience reacting to life with their cameras and film.
Street snaps such as these are vibrant in the Tokyo but outside of the chain of galleries in Shinjuku remain, like everywhere else in the world, firmly outside of the recognition and acceptance of the Contemporary Photography and Art scene. (I’ve written about this on my other blog in 2012) I suspect that this doesn’t matter to the dedicated photographers investing time and money and sweat into making and showing their work in places like 3rd District.
The 3rd District site has a list of Abe’s previous exhibitions- most include galleries of his work to enjoy.