The First Photobook That Struck Me as Cool

—Kazumi Kurigami’s comments in the last installment were truly wonderful. I was so moved by the content that I emailed a stylist friend, telling them, “You absolutely must read this.”

Tomoki Yūshin—Thank you so much. I’m delighted. It’s encouraging.

—Now, what should be the next “cool” subject?

Yūshin—Hmm, what would be good?

—Since we received comments from Kurigami-san, how about something related to photography?

Yūshin—Photography, yes. The first photobook that made me think, “This is cool,” was probably Irving Penn’s. I was 18 or 19, living in Kyoto. After graduating high school, I worked part-time at a club where a fine arts student was also on staff. They’d be talking about Joseph Beuys, you know. This was around 1983, a time when performance art, conceptual art, and graffiti art, led by figures like Beuys and Jean-Michel Basquiat, were gaining attention. The term “performance” was still being used in a nascent way.
So, I got curious and went to a bookstore to buy a book on Beuys. Next to it were several photobooks, and I thought, “This is way cooler,” and bought Irving Penn’s.

—What drew you to it?

Yūshin—First, I fell in love with the cover. And the fashion came through in the pages inside. That was all.

—Did you buy more photobooks after that?

Yūshin—When I moved to Tokyo at 21, I started frequenting ON SUNDAYS. That’s when I began buying them properly.

Photographs That Make You Wonder, “Who Took This?”

—Are there any photographers who capture your interest now?

Yūshin—There are many, but I really admire Nick Knight. Not just his photographs, but everything he does is cool.

—Nick Knight, whose work is featured in the “Paris Vogue” spread above, has an astonishing career with publications like “Dazed & Confused,” “i-D,” “The Face,” and “Visionaire.” When you look at magazines, do you check the photographer credits?

Yūshin—Ah, when I see something that makes me think, “Who is this by?”, I check. But in the last few years, it’s often Nick Knight whose work stops me as I flip through the pages.

—What is it about his work that grabs you?

Yūshin—First, he’s not very one-dimensional. Fashion photographers who are recognized by the world often have a distinct style, you know, “You can tell it’s by that person.” In a way, it’s recognizable because it’s become a convention.
But that’s a deliberate choice, as clients and editors commissioning the work know and use it. Having a distinct style also means originality is established, and while that’s certainly commendable, I’d say it can also become formulaic. Plus, with so many magazines and advertisements out there, the sheer volume of exposure can make it feel less special.

—The established masters and legends do have a certain reassuring quality, don’t they? Their work is consistently high-quality and stable.

Yūshin—In that regard, I find Nick Knight truly remarkable. When I see his work in magazines or ad campaigns, it makes me wonder, “Who shot this?” And then, he makes me think, “This is also acceptable within his artistic scope.” That’s fascinating.

His Entire Private Life is His Work

—Indeed, the quality is high, but his range is also incredible.

Yūshin—He doesn’t repeat himself, and I feel he approaches the challenge of how to express himself through his subjects with great gentlemanly consideration.

—For masters, their style often becomes their business, doesn't it?

Yūshin—Well, it’s good if it becomes a business. But selling T-shirts for exorbitant prices in Japan (laughs), that feels a bit off, doesn’t it?

—Perhaps it also has to do with the thinking of the staff around them.

Yūshin—But he chose those staff members himself.

—In that sense too, Nick Knight doesn’t seem to have that strong sense of “style plus business.”

Yūshin—You can feel his commitment to winning through his photography. His very presence and attitude have become his style, which is cool.
As I often say, my private life is everything, and I don’t believe dressing up for a specific occasion creates true creation. Nick Knight is wonderful in that regard too. I think he’s a demanding artist.

From Paris Vogue