Rinko Kawauchi in Conversation with Martin Parr, Courtesy of Photoworks

Rinko Kawauchi‘s photographs are set apart by their remarkable consistency. Nuanced but never repetitive, each 6×6 frame seems to capture the same frail, effervescent color palette, each, in her typical manner, flooded with light. It’s her attitude toward the photograph and the subject, however, not necessarily the technique that stays the same.

In the clip above, Kawauchi in conversation with Magnum photojournalist Martin Parr, who wrote on the work of Rimaldas Vikšraitis in Aperture issue 204, discusses the first transition she made from her usual Rolleiflex film camera to digital during the Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 when a certain subject called for it. The results were stunning, though not unexpected. She says she hopes in the future to use both formats together using a consistency of approach–not necessarily a conscious one, though as she suggested in an interview for Kopenhagen. “Whenever I’m taking pictures,” she says in the video, “I need to discover something. I want an impression from the object.”

Kawauichi, who was just nominated for the 2012 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, first came to prominence in 2001 when she published three photobooks–Utatane, Hanabi, and Hanako–simultaneously during a time when she was still pursuing commercial work. Her acclaim rose rapidly as she went on to put together over a dozen monographs, most recently Illuminance, published by Aperture in Spring, 2011, of which several signed copies are still available for purchase in our bookstore. Also available is the Illuminance Limited-Edition Box Set featuring two untitled 8×10 prints from the series and a signed copy of the text presented in a beautiful clothbound clamshell box. A larger, dizzying 20×20 untitled C-print (pictured left) is also now available for purchase at Aperture.

Curious about those two gorgeous limited-editions featured in Aperture’s recent newsletter? Here we provide an in-depth look at two of Aperture’s most special offerings this season: Rinko Kawauchi‘s Illuminance Limited-Edition Box Set and Jordan Tate‘s New Work #42.

© Jordan Tate

New Work #42 is a print by Aperture Portfolio Prize finalist Jordan Tate. This photograph is included in Tate’s thought-provoking series, New Work, which investigates the process of image making and the role new technology plays in contemporary photography.

Tate’s work belongs to a growing group of photographers indebted to predecessors Christopher Williams and James Welling. He pushes the conversation beyond nostalgia and squarely into the present, however, by indulging in screen-based images and non-traditional output methods like lenticular screens, animated gifs, and 3-D anaglyphs. His images frequently focus on indicators of an image in the making, such as this photograph of a Polaroid that could easily be an exposure/lighting test for a studio shoot. New Work offers a compelling and quirky exploration of the work involved in new photography.

© Rinko Kawauchi

Rinko Kawauchi‘s Illuminance Limited-Edition Box Set includes a specially bound copy of the artist’s monograph Illuminance (Aperture, 2011) and two beautiful photographs of images found in the book, all presented in a clothbound case. The highly anticipated monograph is the latest volume of Kawauchi’s work and the first to be published outside of Japan. Gorgeously produced as a clothbound volume with Japanese binding, this impressive compilation of mostly previously unpublished images is proof of Kawauchi’s unparalleled, unique sensibility and her ongoing appeal to the lovers of photography.

Kawauchi’s work has frequently been lauded for its nuanced palette and offhand compositional mastery, as well as its ability to incite wonder via careful attention to tiny gestures and the incidental details of her everyday environment. In Illuminance, she continues her exploration of the extraordinary in the mundane, drawn to the fundamental cycles of life and the seemingly inadvertent, fractal-like organization of the natural world into formal patterns, as evidenced by the photographs included in this very special set.

You can also shop online for even more limited-edition books and prints.

In this clip, Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi speaks about the work from her Aperture monograph, Illuminance, with Aperture publisher and editor of the book, Lesley A. Martin. Kawauchi explains how she is interested in revealing the universal cycles of life through the ordinary existence of her family. She also touches on the sequencing and the palette of her images, how they express her own half-awake, half-asleep reality. Finally, they discuss the collaboration process in making this hybrid book combining both Japanese and Western influences.

This excerpt is edited from a conversation between Rinko Kawauchi and Lesley A. Martin which took place at Aperture Gallery on May 18, 2011, on the occasion of the release of Kawauchi’s monograph, Illuminance.

Rinko Kawauchi’s work has frequently been lauded for its nuanced palette and offhand compositional mastery, as well as her wonder-inspiring, deliberate attention to tiny gestures and the incidental details of her everyday environment. In Illuminance, Kawauchi continues her exploration of the extraordinary in the mundane, drawn to the fundamental cycles of life and the seemingly inadvertent, fractal-like organization of the natural world into formal patterns.

Click here to purchase the book Illuminance

Click here to view and purchase Kawauchi’s limited-edition print

By Anna Carnick

Illuminance by Rinko Kawauchi

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Rinko Kawauchi’s photographs celebrate the tiny gestures and unexpected patterns of everyday life. Known for her dreamlike yet unflinching aesthetic, the Tokyo-based artist explores the extraordinary in the mundane, championing the translucent beauty of life’s fleeting moments.

This past month, Kawauchi debuted Illuminance, her twelfth book and her first to be published outside of Japan, as well as an exhibition by the same name at the Gallery at Hermès. Drawn from fifteen years of work, this collection of previously unpublished images continues Kawauchi’s exploration of the fundamental life cycles and the world’s often overlooked wonders.

Amid all the excitement, Ms. Kawauchi sat down to answer a few of our questions.

AC: What first drew you to photography, and what about the medium keeps you engaged?
RK: I just like to think about our life and world through photography. It is the best method for me.

What type of camera(s) do you use?
Rolleiflex and Canon 5D. I just feel a good match with them. Also, they’re not too heavy.

Your work is so ethereal, connected by threads of seemingly random yet repetitive patterns. When you step out into the world to shoot, what are you looking for?
I’m looking for something to touch our subconscious.

What motivates you thematically as an artist?
My works are always meant to reveal evidence of life—such as the cycles, for example. This is what I need to live, so I would say that is my theme.

You have an extensive list of book titles under your belt now. Is there something specific you love about the book format, as opposed to other mediums?
I’ve just really loved the book format more than [any] others since I was small.

Lyrical, visual associations often structure your books. In Illuminance, for example, a circular child’s toy lies opposite a wall of spiraling graffiti, and an elongated spider stands opposite a lacy canopy of trees. How would you describe your process of image selection and composition?
It is really hard to explain it. I just follow my instincts—for shooting as well. I just would like to see something in the middle.

When determining a book’s composition, how do you maintain an emotional or narrative flow without becoming overly stiff or structured?
One image can be independently successful, but I believe that another, new perspective can be borne by connecting images to images, making a sequence of images.

Illuminance: how would you describe the series in your own words?
My obsession itself.

How was the title chosen?
As a metaphor for our life, in which we have different point of views. There are many ways to see our world.

Your exhibition opened recently at the Gallery at Hermès as well. Can you speak to the differences for an artist between book and exhibition presentation?
Making a book is more personal. Having an exhibition is a collaboration with a place, a space (Hermès, in this case).

For you, what is the biggest difference between Illuminance and your earlier books or series?
Time. It has been ten years since I published my first books.

How do you see yourself evolving as an artist?
I just would like to progress as an artist, as a human being with my work.

Thank you!

Illuminance is available now through Aperture.

The Illuminance exhibition is at the Gallery at Hermès now through July 16^th.
691 Madison Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY, (212) 751-3181
Gallery open Monday–Saturday, 10:00 am–6:00 pm.

Artist profile:
Rinko Kawauchi (born in Shiga, Japan, 1972) studied graphic design and photography at Seian Junior College of Art and Design. Among her awards and accolades are the 1997 Grand Prix Prize at the Guardian Garden’s 9th Hitotsubo Exhibition, the 27th Ihei Kimura Photography Award in 2002, and the 2009 International Center of Photography Infinity Award in Art. She has had solo exhibitions at Fondation Cartier, Paris; Photographers’ Gallery, London; Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan; Hasselblad Center, Göteborg, Sweden; and Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, among other international venues. Kawauchi lives and works in Tokyo.

Join Aperture to celebrate the highly anticipated release of Illuminance, the latest volume of Rinko Kawauchi‘s work and the first to be published outside of Japan. Kawauchi’s work has frequently been lauded for its nuanced palette and offhand compositional mastery, as well as her wonder-inspiring, deliberate attention to tiny gestures and the incidental details of her everyday environment. In Illuminance, Kawauchi continues her exploration of the extraordinary in the mundane, drawn to the fundamental cycles of life and the seemingly inadvertent, fractal-like organization of the natural world into formal patterns. Hear Kawauchi talk about this impressive compilation of previously unpublished images with Lesley A. Martin, Aperture’s Book Publisher, followed by a book signing on Wednesday, May 18. An exhibition of Kawauchi’s latest work will be on view at New York’s Gallery at Hermès May 20–July 16, 2011.

Rinko Kawauchi (born in Shiga, Japan, 1972) studied graphic design and photography at Seian Junior College of Art and Design. Among her awards and accolades are the 1997 Grand Prix Prize at the Guardian Garden’s 9th Hitotsubo Exhibition, the 27th Ihei Kimura Photography Award in 2002, and the 2009 International Center of Photography Infinity Award in Art. She has had solo exhibitions at Fondation Cartier, Paris; Photographers’ Gallery, London; Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan; Hasselblad Center, Göteborg, Sweden; and Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, among other international venues. Kawauchi lives and works in Tokyo.

Artist Talk:
Wednesday, May 18, 6:30 pm

Aperture Gallery and Bookstore
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor

Exhibition on view:
May 20–July 16, 2011

The Gallery at Hermès
New York, New York

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