Zen Foto will show “Life in Philly” and vintage prints of her early work “Hot Days in Camp Hansen”.

We are coordinating this exhibition with another exhibition of Mao Ishikawa`s work which takes place simultaneously in Tokio Out of Place in Hiroo. TOoP will show Mao Ishikawa`s more recent Mobile Phone Self-Portraits and “Hinomaru” – “Rising Sun Flag in your eyes”.

Admission to both exhibitions is free. We are holding two opening events. The first will take place at Zen Foto at 7pm on 23rd July featuring a talk and discussion between Mao Ishikawa and noted author and biographer Mr Ryuta Imafuku. For this event on 23rd there will be a charge of Y1000, but this charge is refunded by way of a reduction of Y1000 in the price of Mao Ishikawa`s “Life in Philly” photobook which is available for signing. The second event takes place on Saturday 24th July at Tokio Out of Place with Mao Ishikawa talking about her life and works from 5pm. There is no charge for this event where books are also available for signing by Mao Ishikawa. Please see the attached information and websites for more information and directions.

Mao Ishikawa`s life in Okinawa was the subject of her first, privately published photo book “Hot Days in Camp Hansen”. The exhibition at Zen Foto is an extremely rare opportunity to see these vintage photographs.

A visit to friends in Philadelphia in resulted in the Mao Ishikawa`s “Life in Philly”. Ishikawa had unlimited access to the uninhibited lives of her friends and extended families in downtown Philadelphia. The result is a vibrant portrait of life in urban Philadelphia ghettoes of the 1980s. The book of these photographs was published jointly by Zen Foto and Tokio Out of Place in 2010.

We are pleased to note that Mao Ishikawa will also be making solo exhibitions in Europe later this year. These joint exhibitions in Tokyo are an opportunity to see a broad range of Mao Ishikawa`s work before she travels to London.

I would like to make a few final personal comments. In my opinion Mao Ishikawa is one of Japan`s greatest post-war photographers. Her photographic career spans 6 decades, starting with studies under Shomei Tomatsu in the 1960s. Her work includes painfully honest self-revelatory images, penetrating social commentary, sharply observed portraits of humanity and analyses of national identity. She has lived her life with brio, a maverick. As an Okinawan she was born under US dominion. When Okinawa was subsequently recognized as Japanese she gained a unique perspective on Japan and the concept of nationality. She is also in a minority as a woman in the male-centric world of Japanese photography. In recent years she has also incorporated her age and illnesses into her work. Her work undoubtedly deserves to be more widely appreciated. We hope that these exhibitions at Zen Foto and Tokio Out of Place will contribute to the re-evaluation of Mao Ishikawa among the first rank of Japanese photographers.

* The text provided by Zen Foto Gallery.

Opened dates: July 23 - August 15, 2010