Friday, November 20, 2026 – Saturday, January 27, 2027
This exhibition provides a comprehensive introduction to photographic art, from the techniques that appeared during the advent of photography in the 19th century, to contemporary alternative processes that have garnered attention as new means of expression. It traces the diversity of photographic art that developed in parallel with the unfolding of the history of photography, in a relationship of mutual influence, while
introducing numerous masterworks that expanded the horizons of visual expression and illuminated each era.
Today, from our daily lives to artists’ studios, digital prints made with ink-jet and laser printers have become mainstream. At the same time, alternative processes are carried out by hand, as a hybrid method using high-resolution digital negatives to print on photographic paper. These are an extremely valuable means of expression that expand the possibilities of contemporary photography. The entry to the exhibition focuses on the work of Mike Ware, a driving force in the study of alternative processes.This body of work is the fruit of meticulous scientific exploration and artistic sensibility, and it explicates the rich visual experience that the fusion of science and art brings about.
The next section displays precious works, reaching back to the dawn of the history of photography. These begin with the mysterious radiance of the daguerreotype, whose images are fixed on mirrorlike silver plates.
Famous works by master photographers, such as Eugene Atget’s albumen prints of the streets of Paris; Edward Curtis’s orotones; Edward Steichen’s photogravures; and Irving Penn’s platinumpalladium prints are on display. One can compare the characteristic tones, the depth of substance, and the way light is captured by each of these methods.
Moving forward, we introduce the work of artists such as Yasui Nakaji, Umesaka Ori, Norman Locks, and Pierre Cordier, figures who used experimental approaches to boldly expand the boundaries of photography in Japan and abroad. This work connects then to the very latest contemporary photography.
We organized this exhibition in the hope that tracing the distinctive qualities and trajectories of photography from its origins to present day might provide an opportunity to imagine the future of photography. We hope you will fully enjoy the memory of light and substance imbued in each photograph, along with this record of the artists’ untiring exploration.
