Daido Moriyama is a master of street photography and is renowned as one of Japan's greatest-ever photographers. His work is typically a striking, gritty, and dynamic window into his daily life wandering the urban back streets of cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. However, The Photographers' Gallery in London, England, is scheduled to showcase a 'quieter' side to the iconic photographer's work.
Following Moryiama's extensive, and might I add phenomenal, retrospective at The Photographers' Gallery back in 2023, Daido Moriyama: Encounters takes a more intimate and unexpected approach to his work. Running from February 07 to April 13, this intimate selling exhibition befits the nature of the work on display, focusing on the more reflective and meditative side of Moriyama's photography and shining a light on the images often interwoven as pauses between the more noisy, dynamic and stark.
Speaking on this work Moriyama says, "It may look like I’m just pointing the camera at what’s in front of me. But I’m trying to photograph what people see, but don’t notice – something that’s mysterious and unknown in everyday life".
For over six decades Moriyama has had a keen sense for photographing the familiar yet making it feel unfamiliar, like seeing ordinary everyday scenes anew. A key member of the radical Provoke movement of the late Sixties, he defied photographic norms, pushing boundaries and releasing constraints enforced during the era. This opened up a creative pathway for future generations to follow in his footsteps – and many celebrated photographers of today have done just that.
Contrary to his well-known images of gritty street scenes in the bustling city, Encounters reveals his lesser-explored capacity to show quiet meditations and the beauty in finding stillness in the everyday – cherry blossom leaves, a net curtain in the breeze, and even a weathered concrete facade. Although a slightly different emphasis on his work, Moriyama's signature style is still evident. Grainy images of everyday street scenes shift from snapshots to contemporary art pieces.
Encounters highlights Moriyama's ability to observe these fleeting moments of intimacy that can be easily overlooked in the rush of daily life. These delicate vignettes are paired with moments of humor, to create a lighthearted and whimsical feeling – one not often associated with locations such as Tokyo. A particular image of an alley of cats looking shocked to be disturbed comes to mind.
Upon the release of his recent book, Record 2, I dove deep into Moriyama's work and his approach to the medium. He quickly became one of my favorite photographers due to his bold choices, and his chosen approach of 'are, bure, boke'; an approach I shared without realizing. This term translates to 'grainy, blurry, and out-of-focus', images that defy photographic convention yet scream with unashamed character.
This selling exhibition marks the Print Sales Gallery’s new representation of Daido Moriyama. All of the prints on show at Moriyama: Encounters and from Moriyama’s archive are available to buy. Prices start at £1,200 (approximately $1,500 / AU$2,400) plus VAT and all profits from the prints go to support The Photographers’ Gallery’s public program.
This unexpected curation of Moriyama's versatile work showcases why he is considered one of Japan's, if not the world's, greatest photographers, pioneering the way for a more free and experimental approach to the medium.
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Check out our guides to the best camera for street photography and the best camera for black and white photography. I also highly recommend checking out the book Record 2 by Daido Moriyama – the book that made Moriyama one of my favorite photographers!
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