Hair (autographed)

Hair by Naoki Ishikawa is an unusual collection of works by Ishikawa, who has typically focused on vast geographical subjects such as mountains, polar regions, islands, and cities, but in this book, he concentrates his gaze on the "hair" of a single woman. Published in 2014, this book was born from an encounter during the production of Kunisaki Peninsula and occupies a private and experimental position within Ishikawa's body of work.

The images depict a woman standing in landscapes seen from a car window during a journey, on city streets, in hotel rooms, and in outdoor settings. However, her face is always covered by long black hair, and her identity is never revealed. As the pages turn, her clothing and the distance from the camera change, but her hair consistently remains at the center of the image. This repetition subtly shifts existing forms such as portraits, gravure, and travel records, opening them up to the viewer's imagination.

Ishikawa's photography is underpinned by a sensibility that captures the subtle atmosphere hidden within land and culture, but in this book, that focus is directed towards a detail of the body. By obscuring the face, individual information recedes, and only the intense presence of being emerges. It is evident that Ishikawa, who photographs grand landscapes, found an unknown realm even within a familiar strand of hair. The obi text and contributed essay are by Issei Suda. This is an intriguing collection that reveals the breadth and playfulness of Ishikawa's expression.

[Title] 髪 / Hair
[Publisher] Seidosha
[Publication Date] October 4, 2014 (First Edition, First Printing)
[Page Count] 60 pages
[Size] Approximately 230*254*13mm / 577g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] KAMI
[Author/Editor, etc.] Naoki Ishikawa/Author, Issei Suda/Obi Text, Yoshihisa Tanaka/Art Direction & Design
[Printing] Hakko Bijutsu/Printing, Printing Design/Binding, Takeshi Kodama/Printing Director
[ISBN] 9784791768240
[Condition] Used, Signed【6】Very Good to Good (Obi slightly damaged)
[Accessories] Obi, 1 separate commentary sheet (Naoki Ishikawa)
[Featured in] -
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Naoki Ishikawa (Born 1977)

Born in Tokyo in 1977, Naoki Ishikawa is a photographer, adventurer, and author.
After graduating from Waseda University's Second Faculty of Literature, he completed the doctoral program in Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School.
With an interest in anthropology and ethnology, he has traveled the world from remote regions to cities, creating works and using movement itself as a method of thought and expression.

In 2000, he participated in "Pole to Pole," an international project to traverse the globe from the North Pole to the South Pole by human power. This experience became one of the starting points for his early photo collection POLE TO POLE: The Wind Connecting the Polar Regions and his subsequent activities. Since then, he has focused on polar regions, islands, mountains, and cities, publishing works that observe the memory of the land and human endeavors.

His major photo books include POLAR, NEW DIMENSION, Mt.Fuji, ARCHIPELAGO, CORONA, EVEREST, Marebito, K2, and Shishapangma. His written works include The Last Adventurer, Creating Constellations on Earth, and The Last Mountain, among many others. He is also known for his unique activities that oscillate between physical practice and photographic expression, having summitted all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks, including Mount Everest.

His awards include the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer's Award and Artist's Award, the Kodansha Publication Culture Award, the Domon Ken Award, the Higashikawa Award Special Artist Award, and the Yomiuri Prize for Literature. His major solo exhibitions have been held at Art Tower Mito, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, Accademia Carrara (Italy), and Japan House São Paulo, among others. His works are held in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, and Yokohama Museum of Art.

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