The World Photography Organization has announced that Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi has been named the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography at the Sony World Photography Awards 2023. One of the most important Japanese photographers working today, Kawauchi has achieved international fame for her intimate and luminous photographs, which capture ephemeral moments of everyday life.
More than twenty photographs will be presented as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 14 to May 1, 2023.
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The selection, created by the artist, spans more than twenty years of her career and highlights key milestones and themes from some of her most iconic series: Illuminance (2011), AILA (2004), Utatane (2001) and Amettsuchi (2013).
Kawauchi is influenced by Shinto, which assumes that everything has a spirit or energy called 'kami'. Accordingly, Kawauchi's lens is patient and empathetic to his everyday subjects: glittering lights reflected in a mirror, a pair of hands braiding thread, rays of sunlight streaming through the canopy of a forest.
Kawauchi is influenced by Shinto, which believes that everything has a spirit or energy called 'kami'
Her photos have been compared to haikus, a style of short poetry originating in Japan that often reflects through its lines toward a broader meaning or truth. Likewise, Kawauchi's spare imagery gives these seemingly small moments a sense of great weight and meaning.
Her series Utatane (2001), AILA (2004) and Illuminance (2009) illustrate her idiosyncratic style, with glimpses of everyday scenes that deal with the life cycle and its fragility – the fraying of a net, a mouth opening with a row of fillings, a blade of grass with droplets of morning dew. The exhibition also includes work by Ametsuchi (2013), a series about leaving.
Through my photography I try to create works of art that serve as a guidepost for me
Commenting on her acceptance of the award, Rinko Kawauchi said: "This award is a recognition of my work and encourages me for my future activities. The exhibition presents a body of work that not only characterizes my work, but also presents an ambitious series created with a different method and approach.
Through my photography I try to create works of art that serve as a guide for me to further investigate the experiences I live and look at.'
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The Outstanding Contribution to Photography honors an individual or group of people who have had a significant impact on the photographic medium.
As the 16th recipient, Rinko Kawauchi joins a distinguished list of iconic names including William Eggleston (2013), Mary Ellen Mark, William Klein, Eve Arnold, Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt and most recently Martin Parr, Candida Hofer, Nadav Kander, Gerhard Steidl, Graciela Iturbide and Edward Burtynsky (2022).
More info: www.worldphoto.org.
