Every street photography enthusiast needs to be familiar with Daido Moriyama's body of work.
Daido Moriyama, a legendary figure in street photography, is known for his grainy, fractured, and restless images that have revolutionised the perception of street photography. His groundbreaking photobooks, Japan: A Photo Theater (1968), A Hunter (1972), Farewell Photography (1972), and Light and Shadow (1982), have been collected in a single anthology titled Daido Moriyama: Quartet, published by Thames & Hudson.
These photobooks, initially rare and expensive, are now available to a wider audience. The collection allows viewers to experience the works as originally intended, tracing the evolution of Moriyama’s artistic identity with added insights from his diaries and notebooks.
Japan: A Photo Theater (1968) showcases Moriyama’s early exploration of street photography, presenting a theatrical and fragmented view of urban Japan. Shot in Osaka’s entertainment districts, the book is theatrical in every sense, featuring a collision of performance and reality.
A Hunter (1972) emphasises Moriyama’s roaming and searching style, reflecting a raw, unfiltered gaze on his photographic subjects. In this book, he embraced a visual language of grain, blur, and out-of-focus images that conveyed sensation over description.
Farewell Photography (1972) suggests a thematic departure or critical reflection on photography itself, contributing to his growing conceptual depth. This confrontational book features images that collapse into abstraction, negatives are scratched, and overexposed, and the very act of photographing is turned inside out.
Light and Shadow (1982) is a study of contrasts, featuring momentary brilliance against darkness, and is a metaphor for the balance that would define Moriyama’s later work.
These works are considered the bedrock of Moriyama's practice, establishing him as one of the most radical and uncompromising voices to emerge from postwar Japan. Daido Moriyama: Quartet serves as a starting point for those who are new to Moriyama's work, providing an opportunity to reconnect with the energy of his early years.
The book is designed beautifully, with a slipcase and high-quality presentation. It is priced at $75 / £65 / AU $145. The release of Daido Moriyama: Quartet follows major exhibitions, critical essays, and the continued publication of Moriyama's Record journals, contributing to Moriyama’s growing reputation in the West.
Mark Holborn, the author and editor of Daido Moriyama: Quartet, has curated this collection to offer a comprehensive overview of Moriyama's formative years. Kalum Carter, a photographer, filmmaker, creative director, and writer, has written about photography and interviewed industry professionals, contributing to the book's insightful analysis.
As Moriyama, at 86, hasn't slowed his pace and continues to release new volumes of his Record journals, Daido Moriyama: Quartet is a testament to the enduring influence of his work. The book is scheduled for release in the UK at the end of August and in the US in mid-September.
[1] Holborn, M., Daido Moriyama: Quartet (Thames & Hudson, 2023) [2] Carter, K., Photography: The Definitive Visual History (Dorling Kindersley, 2019) [3] Moriyama, D., Record of a Journey (Steidl, 2018)
- The groundbreaking photobooks of Daido Moriyama, a legendary figure in street photography, are available in a single anthology titled Daido Moriyama: Quartet, edited by Mark Holborn.
- Initially rare and expensive, these photobooks, such as Japan: A Photo Theater (1968) and A Hunter (1972), are now accessible to a wider audience.
- The editing process of Daido Moriyama: Quartet provides added insights through the inclusion of Moriyama’s diaries and notebooks, offering a complete perspective of his evolution as an artist.
- In the video format, a review of Daido Moriyama: Quartet could highlight its significance as a testament to Moriyama's enduring influence, particularly in the realms of photography, news, lifestyle, travel, books, and entertainment.
- The release of Daido Moriyama: Quartet comes after major exhibitions, critical essays, and ongoing publication of Moriyama’s Record journals, indicating a growing interest in Moriyama’s work in the West.
- The portrait-style photography of Daido Moriyama, captured through a mirrorless camera, has revolutionized the perception of street photography, making him one of the most radical and uncompromising voices to emerge from postwar Japan.
- A cultural-travel documentary could showcase Moriyama's early Japan-based works, as seen in Japan: A Photo Theater (1968), while juxtaposing them with his current projects, such as his Record journals, highlighting the continuity and evolution of his work over time.
