Curator's Talk - KITAI Kazuo: Gazing at the Present Moment

Talk event by FUJIMURA Satomi who will explore KITAI’s career as a photographer.

Japanese photographer KITAI Kazuo (1944– ) may not be well known in the way that other photographers such as MORIYAMA Daido are known in the UK. Yet he, as the first recipient of the prestigious Kimura Ihei Award, is regarded as one of the most notable figures in the world of Japanese photography.

Away from strong individuality or radical expression, KITAI’s photography – ranging from a series of shots of the Japanese rural landscape to protests in the 1960s and 1970s – captures ordinary people’s lives. His works share a renewed appreciation for the potential of this medium, offering a time for reflection on things we should have seen but have lost sight of.

For this special talk event, FUJIMURA Satomi (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Arts Council Tokyo), an expert in photography, will explore KITAI’s career as a photographer and his unique style while discussing how his images intertwine with political and social changes in Japan.

This event is co-presented with The Photographers' Gallery and in conjunction with KITAI’s first solo exhibition in Paris, Kazuo Kitai, l’éloge du quotidien (Kazuo Kitai, in Praise of the Everyday), at the Japan Foundation’s Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris. FUJIMURA is the exhibition curator.