Kenji Wakasugi (1941) is a Japanese photographer born in Osaka, Japan. Graduating from Tokyo Technical School of Photography, he started to work at Roppongi Studio in 1970, and also South Pacific Islands and Patagonia between 1997 and 2002. Japanese traditional arts and his photography as the focal point of his expression.
Biography:
1941 Born in Osaka, Japan
1960 Graduated from Saga Prefectural Karatsu West High School, Saga, Japan
1967 Enrolled in Tokyo Technical School of Photography (present Tokyo Visual Arts) in Osaka, Japan
1969 Graduated from Tokyo Technical School of Photography in Osaka, Japan
1975 Started working at Roppongi Studio in Tokyo, Japan
1996 Started working as a freelance photographer
Exhibitions:
1997 "My Shangri-La", Canon Salon, Tokyo, Japan
2002 "Cosmo Tree", Japanese Embassy in Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
2014 "DIORAMA (Fusuma Photography) at Nikon Salon in Ginza, Tokyo
2016 "Japanese Fusuma Photography by Kenji Wakasugi - Synthesis", Ippodo Gallery New York & Ippodo Gallery Tokyo
2021 "Kōgei: The Art of Japanese Craft", Ippodo Gallery New York
2021 Solo Exhibition "Synthesis II - Adore Madonna and Fusuma Photography by Kenji Wakasugi", Ippodo Gallery New York
Award:
1997 Art Directors Club 76th Annual Awards Prize for Photo book My Shangri-La, New York
Publications:
1996 Photo book My Shangri-La, Hirakawa Publishers
2021 Madonna - Adore, NJG Studio Ltd
2021 Madonna - Adore Volume 2, NJG Studio Ltd
Public Collection:
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
-
Synthesis II
“Adore” Madonna and Fusuma Photography by Kenji Wakasugi 3 Dec 2021 - 7 Jan 2022Wakasugi’s works are forever evolving and it is difficult to tell whether they are photographs or illusions. They present scenes that do not exist in reality but evoke nostalgia or...Read more -
Kogei: The Art of Japanese craft
Summer Selections from Ippodo Gallery, New York 5 - 27 Aug 2021The Japanese festival of Obon ( お盆) traces back to ancient Chinese and Buddhist rituals that honor one’s ancestors. It is believe that this time every year, the ancestor’s spirits...Read more -
The Essence of Imperfection
Wabi Sabi at Ippodo Gallery 26 Oct - 22 Nov 2017Wabi Sabi Shoko Aono The call of the evening cicada that signals the approach of autumn, a lonely plain of eulalia grass, a moss-covered rock, a simple teahouse… The Japanese...Read more -
Synthesis
Japanese Fusuma Photography by Kenji Wakasugi 10 Mar - 22 Apr 2016Wakasugi combines views of nature he has photographed while traveling the remote regions of the world with fusuma , decorated sliding doors. These particular fusuma have been taken from a...Read more
-
The Photography Show 2024
Hosted by AIPAD at the Park Avenue Armory 25 - 28 Apr 2024NEW YORK, NY — Ippodo Gallery proudly presents contemporary names in Japanese photography at the 43rd edition of the Photography Show, hosted by AIPAD from...Read more -
Artist Talk
Kenji Wakasugi and Felice Fischer at 5 pm 30 Dec 2021A student of Japan’s long history of ink-wash painting, or suiboku-ga, Kenji Wakasugi uses black and grey in his traditional photography of flowers, plants, and...Read more -
Book Signing - December 4th, 3 - 5 pm
Synthesis II: Adore” Madonna and Fusuma Photography by Kenji Wakasugi 4 Dec 2021NEW YORK - Ippodo Gallery welcomes you the book signing for Synthesis II “Adore” Madonna and Fusuma Photography, our second solo exhibition of works by...Read more -
Opening Reception - December 3rd, 5 - 8 pm
Synthesis II: Adore” Madonna and Fusuma Photography by Kenji Wakasugi 3 Dec 2021NEW YORK - Ippodo Gallery welcomes you Synthesis II “Adore” Madonna and Fusuma Photography, our second solo exhibition of works by Kenji Wakasugi. A sequel...Read more
-
Artists Spotlight: Kenji Wakasugi
Echoes of the Past, Embracing Today: Exploring New Artistic Paths After Escapes April 23, 2024Flocking Birds - 群鳥 , 2016 Rarely do we encounter a photographer as playful as Wakasugi.In his late twenties, he stumbled upon the camera during...Read more -
Artist Spotlight
Kenji Wakasugi December 8, 2021A quote from the French artist Edgar Degas perfectly sums up Kenji Wakasugi's photographs. 'Art is not what you see, but what you make others...Read more