Revealing the subject's persona and way of life

Kazumi Kurigami is a photographer renowned for creating many memorable commercial photographs with his innovative ideas and advanced techniques. His talents extend beyond this, as he has also been active as a film director. This exhibition showcases 50 portrait works, carefully selected by photographer Yoshihiko Ueda, who is also the curator of Gallery 916, from the portraits Kurigami has taken since becoming an independent photographer in 1965 to the present day.



While Kurigami has produced numerous series and works, he has consistently shot portraits since the early stages of his career. The exhibition will feature portraits where he gazes at his subjects with a sharp, penetrating eye, imprinting his own sensibility onto film as if piercing through them.

These photographs, created by carefully observing the subjects and precisely determining when, where, and how to shoot, capture the persona and even the way of life of the individuals. Responding to the powerful gaze of the subjects looking into the lens, these 'living' portraits that touch the viewer's heart—what do they communicate to us?