Japan is enveloped in gloom. I do not think it can be simply explained away as the result of the massive earthquake-tsunami and nuclear crisis. Rather I feel this is the end result of the system Japan adopted after the Second World War, which came to be symbolized by the bubble economy, a system of untrammeled capitalist values and economic performance, of bureaucratic control and focus on the construction industry, of politicians only interested in securing their vested interests. We are finally finding themselves unable to keep up, unable to accept diversified values and their desperate struggles are what give rise to the feeling of despair that is gripping the nation. Sharing this general unease and irritation, while unable to avoid questioning the merit of simplification, contemporary artists find themselves confronted with the problem of what form of expression they should aim for. If we accept that contemporary art should "reflect the present and offer a premonition of the future", then what sort of work would it be? This is the exhibition of contemporary Japanese photographers who confront and struggle working in somewhere between them and this world.

［作家プロフィール］
Kikuchi Tomoko: Born in Tokyo, 1973. Graduated from Musashino Art University, 1996. Moved to Hong Kong, 1997, then to Beijing, 1999, where she has been working as a photographer for magazines and newspapers such as News Week, New York Times, Far East Economic Review, Paris Match, V magazine, and so on. She also works as a still photographer for the movies of James Ivory and Peter Chan since 2002.

Taguchi Kazuna:
Born in Tokyo, 1979. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with Ph. D. in painting. She has been invited by many group shows such as Yokohama Triennial, Yokohama Museum of Art (2011), "Trace Elements", Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery and The Performance Space, Sydney (2008), Taipei Biennial (2006). She received a numerous prizes including Fine Art Division "Shinjin"(Most Promising Talent), The Gotoh Commemorative Culture Award, The Gotoh Memorial Foundation, 2010 and Nomura Art Prize, Nomura Foundation, 2008. Lives and works in Tokyo.

Sasaoka Keiko:
Born in Hiroshima, 1978. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, 2002. Awarded "Photographic Society of Japan Award", 2008 and "Encouragement Prize at The Vision of Contemporary Art, 2008, The Ueno Royal Museum. She held a numerous solo shows since 2001. Founding member of photographers' gallery in 2001 and editor in chief of photographers' gallery press from 2003 to 2008. She published numerous books including EQUIVALENT (Rat Hole Gallery, 2010) and PARK CITY (Inscript, 2009). Lives and works in Tokyo.

Otsuka Chino:
Born in Tokyo, 1972 and received MA in Fine Art Photography at Royal College of Art (London). She was awarded an Artist-in-Residence at The British Library (UK) in 2007 and also awarded Photography Bursary from National Media Museum (UK) in 2008. Otsuka has exhibited widely in UK and Europe including Victoria & Albert Museum, UK; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA; Huis Marseille Museum for Photography, Amsterdam; The Daiwa Foundation, London; The British Library, UK and Helsinki Photography Triennial 2009, Helsinki City Art Museum, Finland. Otsuka's work are found in public and private collections including National Media Museum (UK), Wilson Centre for Photography (UK), LACMA (USA), Mario Testino Collection (France) and Huis Marseille Museum for Photography (Netherlands).Otsuka has also published four books in Japan as a writer. Published her first autobiographical book in Japan at the age of 15 to much acclaim.A monograph will be published by Dewi Lewis Publishing (UK) in 2012. Lives and works in London.

Kura Masumi:
Born in Toyama, 1975. Received BA in English Literature from Doshisha University, 1998. After studied photography in Tokyo Visual Arts, she became one of the founding members of photographers' gallery, Tokyo. Awarded "The 10th Photo City Sagamihara Award, New Figure Encouragement Prize", 2010. She held a numerous solo shows since 2001. She published numerous books including kura, (Sokyu-sha, 2010) and Adventures of Kura (Sokyu-sha, 2011). Lives and works in Tokyo.