About Book

CANARY presents a beguiling body of work by a young photographer. The constructed images are steeped in a world of magical realism charged with a primal and animistic immediacy. The world in Shiga Lieko's hands seems to be pregnant with dynamism and movement, which at times can also be threatening. Throughout the work, the viewer is prompted to speculate how the photographs were created. What was her process? What aspects have been captured by the camera and what has been adulterated. It seems only fitting that after the book's release, Shiga revisited her work and created a limited-edition photobook as a companion, CANARY-MON. In this smaller volume, she presents an reading or explanation of each of the images but with the distance of hindsight. Therefore the plates themselves, rather than direct reproductions of the original images, are photographs of the photographs. These plates are then tipped in and only loosely adhered to the page, implying tenuousness. The typography too fades in part from the page. So even in her meta-text on her own work, the process and work remains in a state of flux between presence and non- presence, vibrant color and fading away. CANARY-MON is encased by a sleeve that cocoons the single-found binding.

reviewed by Ivan Vartanian

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Artist Information

1980　Born in Aichi, Japan
2004　Graduate at Chelsea University of Art and Design / BA Fine Art New Media, London, UK

- Solo Exhibition -
2001　[Floating Occurrence] graf, Osaka, Japan
2003　[Jaques saw mw tomorrow morning.] graf media gm, Osaka, Japan
2005　[Lilly] graf media gm, Osaka, Japan
2006　[Lilly] NUKE gallery, Paris, France
2008　[A Stranding Record] Fotogalleriet, Oslo, Norways
2011　[CANARY] Mitsubishi-Jisho ARTIUM, Fukuoka, Japan
2011　[CANARY] Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne, Germany

- Awards -
2005　Mio Photo Award - Jurors Award (Michiko Kasahara), Japan
2008　Kimura Ihei Photography Award, Japan
2009　Infinity Award / Young Photographer, International Center of Photography, NewYork, United States of America

- Publications -
"Lilly" artbeat Publishers CO, Ltd.
"CANARY" AKAAKA Art Publishing, Inc.
"CANARY-MON" AKAAKA Art Publishing, Inc.

About Book

東京都台東区、かつて「山谷」と呼ばれ日雇い労働者の町として知られていたこのエリアにある外国人旅行者専用の簡易宿。鷲尾和彦は、この一軒の宿へやって来るバックパッカーたちのポートレートを５年間にわたり撮影した。のべ数百人の旅行者との出会い。彼らの言葉に耳を傾け、互いの言葉の向こうに残されていった記憶。

「そして、その『響き』が僕を強く共振させる時、僕たちはともにこの世界を漂い続ける小さな欠片であり、異なる場所でそれぞれの生を生きてきた者同士なのだという愛しさが込み上げて来た。」（あとがきより）

彼らのポートレートに刻まれる不思議な静謐と体温は、未来への希望と不安が入り交じる私たち自身の肖像でもあり、従来のドキュメント写真を超えた普遍性を獲得している。遠くへ何かを探しに行くことだけが「旅」なのではなく、訪れては去る彼らの姿を見つめる中にこそ、新しい「旅」の写真の可能性があることを「極東ホテル」は静かに指し示している。

「東京の『極東ホテル』にしばらく滞在してまた去っていったこれら若い人々の顔に浮かんだ放心と当惑に、ぼくは共感を覚える。同じ思いを共有してきたと思う。世界は実はたくさんの地名が林立する森だ。その森のどこかで、ディディエよ、モスターファよ、ブレーメンの二人の少女よ、名前なき者たちよ、ぼくはきみたちに会った覚えがある。どの木の近くだったかはわからないけれど、ぼくはきみとすれ違ったね。」（池澤夏樹 書下ろしエッセイ「寂しい惑星」より）

Around the time of the 2002 World Cup, a number of cheap hostels for foreign tourists were built in the northeast of Tokyo, around Sanya, a neighborhood most known for its population of day laborers. Over the course of five years, Kazuhiko Washio spent time talking with and photographing the guests staying at one of these hostels. In the text for his book, he describes conversing with these people, until he forgot about the hostel itself, and "all that was left was a naked presence." In the photographs, we often see the travelers in a quiet moment, sometimes looking clearly at the camera. Washio records the date and home country of the subject, when available. "HOTEL FAREAST" is a simple meditation on how people can slow down, even while on the go.

Includes English versions of texts by the photographer and writer Natsuki Ikezawa.

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Artist Information

1968　Born in Hyogo, Japan. Graduated from Waseda University, Department of Education.

- Solo Exhibition -
2001　"INDIAN SUMMER" Dojyunkai Apartment, Tokyo
2008　"NEIGHBORHOOD" Pict Gallery, Osaka
2005-2010　"HOTEL FAREAST" Nikon Salon, Tokyo/Osaka. AKAAKA, Tokyo
WASHIO has joined many group exhibitions.

- Award -
2001　Young Portfolio (Kiyosato Photo Art Museum)
2003　TPCC Award (Tokyo Photographic Culture Center)
2006　Photo Documentary Nippon (Guardian Garden)

- Collections -
Kiyosato Photo Art Museum