Ryuichi Ishikawa: zkop;A Blessing in Disguise

12 Jan-15 Mar 2018

Overview

Yamamoto Keiko Rochaix is pleased to host the very first showing in the UK of works of Ryuichi Ishikawa, an emerging talent in photography. The 'Okinawa Portraits' and 'Landscape in Polyphony' series have earned him critical acclaim and lead him to be shortlisted as one of the five finalists for the Nissan Art Award 2017. Curated from these series, 'A Blessing in Disguise' is an ode to the alternative lives in Okinawa, southernmost islands of the Japanese archipelago, and his home turf. The raw and powerful images of the non-mainstream society may make him a god-son of the Japanese photography tradition immortalising underground culture tracing back to after the WWII. Yet, his underlining affection towards the subjects and indeed towards his hometown, is felt even in the darkest of the images, turning his body of work curiously fresh, with a tint of youthful optimism.