WHISTLE (Signed)

"WHISTLE" is a photobook by Haruto Hoshi, a Yokohama-born artist who captured the hidden atmospheres and people in the depths of the city in color. It has garnered attention as a work that brings the legacy of street photography into the contemporary era. After seriously engaging with photography in his mid-twenties and studying at the Institute of Contemporary Photography, he returned to the streets and continued to photograph the urban night.

The book depicts the underside of the city, which would never appear in tourist guides. Yakuza, hostesses, drag queens, young people, intoxicated individuals, and those lingering on the streets. He captures scenes where glamour and decay, violence and solitude, desire and humor intertwine, using strong flash and close-up perspectives. His photographs are unembellished, revealing a raw reality alongside a strange intimacy with his subjects.

While inheriting the intensity reminiscent of Katsumi Watanabe and Seiji Kurata, Hoshi's photographs are not mere imitations. The way he closes the distance with his subjects, the vividness of the colors, and the sense of capturing even the humidity of the night, all encapsulate the urban atmosphere of the 2000s and beyond. The subtle human tenderness amidst the roughness is also one of its charms.

The title "Whistle" can be interpreted as a sound to encourage oneself on a dark street, a signal to someone, or a melody to ward off loneliness. This photobook encapsulates the presence of those who wander the streets. Limited to 1000 copies.

[Title] WHISTLE
[Publisher] Little Big Man
[Publication Date] 2017
[Page Count] 110 pages
[Size] approx. 322*237*13mm / 
[Format] Hardcover, ring bound
[Language] English
[Title Reading] KUCHIBUE
[Author/Editor] Haruto Hoshi/Author, Little Big Man/Design
[Printing] Grafiche Milani, Italy
[ISBN] -
[Condition] Used 【9】Excellent
[Accessories] -
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] 2017 Third District Gallery (Shinjuku, Tokyo)

Haruto Hoshi (born 1970)

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