New exhibition spotlights the ongoing impact of Japanese Women Photographers
- Text by Isaac Muk
- Photography by The Photographers’ Gallery & Aperture (courtesy of)
1950s to Now — Taking place at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, it showcases work by 27 artists from the past seven decades including Mikiko Hara, Yurie Nagashima and Mao Ishikawa.
A new exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, which explores the continuing impact of women photographers in Japan, has opened today.
Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now, spotlights 27 photographers from the past 70 years or so, including the likes of Mikiko Hara, Yurie Nagashima, Mao Ishikawa, Rika Noguchi, Momo Okabe, Sakiko Nomura and others.
Running until September 27, the exhibition is curated by Lesley A. Martin, Takeuchi Mariko and Pauline Vermare. It accompanies the 2024 photobook I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers 1950s to Now, which is published by Aperture.
The exhibition opens with the post-war period in Japan, and the emergence of the radical arts scene as the country underwent rapid economic, social and cultural change as it opened up to globalisation and the west, in what was dubbed the ‘Japanese Economic Miracle’.
As Japan transformed rapidly, women photographers often sought to document the lives of women themselves. It came as they saw changing roles within society, as equality laws in employment were passed and many sought out careers in industries that had been previously closed off to them.
Others challenged dominant notions of beauty and femininity, while some explored family life, motherhood and romance. The exhibition celebrates their roles as key characters within the canon of Japan’s artistic canon and as documentarians of societal change.
Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now is on view at The Photographers’ Gallery, London through September 27, 2026.
Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.
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