Introducing “as it is,” the newest photo collection by Rinko Kawauchi. Within this volume, Kawauchi has collected photographs taken since the birth of the her child three years before; the work depicts Kawauchi’s child, together with scenes the photographer holds close to her. In the twenty-year-long span of time since the release of her first photo collection “Utatane” in 2001, Kawauchi has undergone a gradual transition – shifting her gaze from the world of the quotidian to the outside world. A more recent photo collection, “Halo” (2017) reflects this, with imagery evoking images of a distant, faraway universe. In “as it is,” however, we see Kawauchi come back to where she once began – her sights return her own child and family, together with the scenes of her everyday.

Up until three years old, children begin awakening to their own identities while remaining detached from the realities of society – they are like bright, vibrant incarnations of life itself. This volume features photographs in combination with Kawauchi’s texts, detailing her own feelings on being a mother; and while “as it is” is an ongoing story of her own family, her text also draws light to the ubiquity of the child and the raw, abundant vitality they embody. Within her collection, we witness the beauty of nature evident through the changing of the seasons; little creatures and life forms found in daily life; first encounters with death. Such events color Kawauchi’s days with the beauty of life, while clearing way for new revelations. With the onset of COVID-19, 2020 has signaled a great change in our lives. Many of us have come to realize just how precious, and powerful, these little, everyday moments are. Kawauchi’s volume reminds us how once ordinary sights and events take on new shades of meaning, while similarly help us navigate these new times we find ourselves in.

162pages

18×23cm

Softcover

Japanese

2020

ISBN 9784907562243