"Images only tell half of the story. The rest is the reader's own journey." "Illuminance" by Rinko Kawauchi
- ChungT.
- Feb 14
- 4 min read
Rinko Kawauchi's works always show the vitality of life. She has an unparalleled gift for observing and capturing the subtle, small moments in everyday life. She can find extraordinary vitality in ordinary silence and touch our hearts.
She shows us that even the most mundane things, those that have been photographed so many times that we no longer find them novel, are worth capturing. Through her lens, every scene and object around us is full of meaning. Those moments that we often overlook in life become so profound through her works, clearly reflecting the trajectory of our lives.
As one of the pioneers of the "airy" style of Japanese photography, her photos are light as air, with bright blue-green tones, simple composition and a matte texture. It reflects the simple beauty of life, and its low saturation and contrast give it a unique gentle temperament. The fascinating freshness and tranquility of the tone have always been popular among artists and the general public.
American publisher Aperture has launched a new edition of "Illuminance" for its 10th anniversary. The new cover design completely retains the image arrangement of the first edition, as well as Kawauchi's iconic lens posture and delicate style. It includes texts written by curator David Chandler, philosopher Masatake Shinohara, and Aperture Creative Director Lesley A. Martin, providing a more detailed perspective on Kawauchi's photographic contributions.
“I want to touch the mysteries of this world. People explore mysteries in their own way, and I want to see how close I can get to them through photography." Rinko Kawauchi.
Following Kawauchi's gaze, the commonalities between us are quietly awakened, leading to deep thoughts on the operation of human life and our relationship with nature.
"Illuminance" by Rinko Kawauchi 2021
Publisher Aperture
Retail price USD65.00
Kawauchi Rinko
1972
Born in Shiga Prefecture, Japan
1997
He made his mark by winning first prize in the photography category at the 9th Ipyou Exhibition with his photo series "Utatane".
2001
Three photography collections: Utatane, Hanabi, and Hanako.
"Utatane" looks like a list of daily life, but in fact it tries to liberate things from "daily life".
The linked reading experience created by the photos creates a familiar yet incongruous feeling through the extremely clever composition and arrangement of the photos.
"Hanabi" brings together fireworks scenes from all over Japan.
What is captured is not the physical beauty of the fireworks themselves, but the situation created by humans, man-made objects and nature.
"Hanako" records the ordinary daily life of a mentally disabled person named Hanako Imamura and her family in Kyoto. It is a rare portrait work by Kawauchi.
2002
The two photo collections "Utatane" and "Fireworks" won the 27th Kimura Ihei Photography Award, and also won the Japan Photo Association Newcomer Award that year.
2003
Shot stills for the movie "blue" and published a photo album of the same name
2004
Stills for Hirokazu Koreeda's film "A Summer Morning No One Knows"
Launched the photography collection AILA, which explores the cycle of the natural world with the birth of life as its theme.
2005
The publication of "Cui Cui" presents Kawauchi's family memories photographed over a period of 13 years, recording the ordinary events accumulated by an ordinary family, as well as repeated encounters and farewells.
2009
Winner of the ICP (International Center of Photography, New York) Infinity Art Award.
2011
Iluminance, released by the American publisher Aperture, is the first work to be published overseas.
"Iluminance" is the refinement of the themes and creations he focused on during this period. It is an important milestone in his photographic career and also made Kawauchi Rinko an internationally renowned photographer. From here on, Kawauchi's works advance to the next stage and embrace new themes.
2012
Held a large-scale solo exhibition "Illumination: See the Shadows" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
2017
The publication of "Halo" links together the migratory bird flocks filmed in the UK, the "tree-blooming" ceremony in Hebei Province, China, and the sacred fire of the Izumo Taisha Shrine in Japan, depicting the potential relationship between nature and humans, the tenacious vitality similar to prayer, the fear and silence of darkness, and the hope and joy of turning to light. The magnificent perspective is like looking down at the earth from the universe, opening up distant images calling to the Milky Way.
2020
The publication of "As it is" records the daily scenes of life with children and family in the three years after giving birth. With the advent of the epidemic era, Kawauchi believes that it is the best time to turn the camera to daily life again, to trace the tributaries of family, memory and time, and to gaze at the personal universe around him.
2022
Held a large-scale solo exhibition "M/E Sphere: Infinite Link" in Tokyo for the first time in six years. The exhibition title “M/E” is an abbreviation of “Mother” and “Earth”. It means “Mother Earth” and also “me”, which is the product of “Mother” and “Earth”.
