1000 Words
City Guides
#2 Tokyo
G/P Gallery
NADi A/P/A/R/T 2F, 1-18-4 Ebisu,
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013
+81 3 5422 9331
www.gptokyo.jp
Founded in 2008, G/P Gallery has rapidly established itself as one of the leading contemporary photography galleries in Tokyo. While represented artists include Daisuke Yokota, Mayumi Hosokura and Taisuke Koyama, the gallery director Shigeo Goto takes pride in discovering, nurturing and promoting emerging Japanese photographers, and actively hosts portfolio reviews and various awards. Quietly sitting in a discreet Ebisu back street, the NADi A/P/A/R/T building is somewhat an oasis for admirers of contemporary art; home to several floors of art, photography and design books, a collection that is unparalleled in the capital, as well as contemporary fine art gallery MEM.
PGI (Photo Gallery International)
TKB Building, 3F, 2-3-4 Higashiazabu,
Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 106-0044
+81 3 5114 7935
www.pgi.ac
Founded in 1979, PGI is Japan’s pioneering commercial gallery specialising in Japanese photography spanning from the immediate post-war era to the present day. A stone’s throw away from the iconic Tokyo Tower, the gallery represents some of the medium’s most distinguished figures in the region such as Kikuji Kawada and Eiko Hosoe, as well as contemporary artists such as Yuji Hamada and Takashi Arai. Also home to a small yet resourceful shop which sells museum-quality archival products, and provides matting and framing services, PGI has established its reputation as an indispensable destination for Tokyo’s enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Poetic Scape
1F 4-4-10, Meguro-ku
Nakameguro, Tokyo 153-0061
+81 3 6479 6927
www.poetic-scape.com
Established in 2011 by director Takashi Kakishima in the quiet neighbourhood of Nakameguro, Poetic Scape has built up a broad and vibrant community of photography enthusiasts through its wide-ranging and wide-reaching exhibition and events programming. The gallery is well-known for its keen selection of artists such as Seiji Kumagai and Keiko Nomura, as well as its close collaboration with Satoshi Machiguchi of bookshop M, with Match & Company’s Japanese Photography x Contemporary Literature series, including their most recent Daido Moriyama: Ango (2017), displayed there. Artist talks accompany the majority of exhibitions shown, and occasionally “Bar Kakishima”, a diner at the gallery, hosts artists discussions.
Sokyu-sha
Shinshin Building 3F, Shinjuku 1-3-5,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
+81 3 3358 3974
www.sokyusha.com
Best known as the original publisher of Masatoshi Fukase’s Ravens (1986) Sokyu-sha serves as Japan’s leading photo book publisher. In 2008, founder Michitaka Ota opened a new gallery in the heart of Shinjuku, as well as an adjoining bookstore featuring a stunning collection of valuable out-of-print editions and self-published photo books. Although the publishing house has a distinguished history of releasing titles by masters such as Daido Moriyama, Michio Yamauchi and Miyako Ishiuchi, the exhibition space is itself dedicated to showcasing the work of emerging photographers, and those who have had books published by Sokyu-sha. As a result, the gallery is a vital condensation point for those interested in discovering talented, yet little known, artists working in Japan today.
TOP Museum (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum)
Yebisu Garden Place, 1-13-3
Mita Meguro-ku Tokyo 153-0062
+81 3 3280 0099
www.topmuseum.jp
TOP Museum serves as Japan’s only public museum devoted entirely to photography and the moving image. Reopening its doors in 2016 following a major renovation, the stunning new space consists of three galleries and a screening room, showcasing an array of gems from its prized collection of videos, films and more than 34,000 photographs. The museum also owns an exceptional selection of photo books, and the library on the 4th floor makes them accessible to the public at no charge. Engaging in an extensive range of educational workshops and compelling outreach programmes throughout the year, including the Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions every February, TOP Museum embodies the rich and varied nature of the capital’s photographic landscape. ♦
Image: View of the exhibition Taisuke Koyama, TOKYO PHOTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH #01: PHASE TRANS at G/P Gallery, 2018.