Hiroo Kikai Persona

PERSONA is a masterpiece by photographer Kikai Hiroo , a collection of portraits of people he has taken in Asakusa over the course of more than 30 years. The setting for the shoots is the grounds of Sensoji Temple . Kikai approached passersby and photographed them head-on with the temple walls as a backdrop, quietly bringing to light the presence of anonymous people living in the city.

Kikai has previously published portraits of Asakusa in works such as "Portraits of Kings" and "Ya-Chimata," but this book features large-format prints close to the size of the originals. Triple-tone printing meticulously recreates the monochrome world with its deep gradations and textures. This book also earned Kikai the 23rd Domon Ken Award in 2004.

The photographs are accompanied by unique captions written by the artist himself. These short phrases, such as "A young man who walked here from far away" and "A man who says he was attention-seeking and often bullied since childhood," allow viewers to imagine the characters' backgrounds and stories, transforming the portraits from mere records into social allegories.

The book also includes portraits of the same people photographed over a decade later, vividly capturing the changes in people and time. The 166 portraits are a microcosm of the megalopolis of Tokyo, but they can also be seen as a quiet philosophical book that reflects the loneliness and fate of human existence.

In his essay for this book, Polish film director Andrzej Wajda describes Kikai's photographs as "a melancholic gaze directed at the fate of humanity." In front of the photographer's camera, the subjects are freed from pretense and appearance, living a poetic moment in modern society. "PERSONA" is a photobook that questions the depth of human existence through the faces of anonymous people.

●23rd (2004) Domon Ken Award winning work

[Title] Persona
[Publisher] Soshisha

[Publication date] September 26, 2003 (first edition)
[Number of pages] 180 pages
[Size] Approx. 270*200mm
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] Persona
[Author/Editor] Hiroo Kikai/Author, Shunichi Mamura/Design
[Print] Tokyo Inshokan/Print
[ISBN] 4794212402
[Condition] Used [ 6 ] Above average to average (box slightly damaged, slight discoloration on three sides)
[Accessories] Shipping box, obi, exhibition flyer
[Featured book] -
[Related Exhibitions] -

Hiroo Kikai (1945-2020)

Born on March 18, 1948 in Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture.
After graduating from high school in 1963, he worked as a Yamagata Prefectural Government employee before studying philosophy at Hosei University's Faculty of Letters.
He continued to photograph while changing jobs several times, and in 1984 he became a freelancer.

In 1987, he published a photo collection of portraits of people in Asakusa, "Portraits of Kings," and the following year won the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer Award and the 13th Ina Nobuo Award.
In 2004, he won the 23rd Domon Ken Award for " PERSONA " (Soshisha).
He died in Tokyo on October 19, 2020.

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