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  ©Kozo Miyoshi

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  ©Kozo Miyoshi

Kozo Miyoshi began his photographic career in the 1970s and started shooting 8×10 large format in 1981. Throughout the 1980s he created several series around the Japanese landscape and its people, including Innocents, Picture Show and Conservatory. Then in the 1990s he spent 5 years perfecting his craft in Tucson, Arizona and creating detail-rich projects such as Southwest, Chapel, CACTI and Airfield. In 2009 Miyoshi upgraded to an ultra large format 16×20-inch view camera, which he continues to use to capture fleeting scenes found upon his travels to this day. When he isn’t on the road, Miyoshi also creates work in controlled settings, like the projects ROOTS<NE>, CAMERA and SABI.

After a 10 year hiatus, the third instalment of his series on Japan’s cherry blossoms will be exhibited at PGI. Virtually every year since 1998 Miyoshi has traversed the country following the so-called cherry blossom front. With each journey he has revisited his favorite trees many times over. Some of them draw huge crowds while others blend into the scenery and silently watch over the lives of the people around them.

”Soon, each petal turns into grains of light and nestle to become a latent image. That is the manner of my photography.”

Miyoshi’s approach is that of the steadfast observer. To him photographs are the culmination of “film, a lens and printing in a darkroom.” The act of photographing these trees, which have been blossoming every year for centuries, is both an expression of sheer awe and one of his greatest pleasures.

The exhibit will feature about 30 monochrome contact prints photographed with 16×20-inch view camera.

Sakura Envoy

Millions and billions of cherry flowers bloom in full glory; millions and billions of cherry flowers fall in no time.
Petals enchanted by the spring breeze twirl in the air and disappear into nowhere without being noticed.
Soon, each petal turns into grains of light and nestle to become a latent image. That is the manner of my photography. 

kozo ip

Kozo Miyoshi

Recent solo exhibitions include MAYU (PGI, 2018), On the Road Again (PGI, 2017), RINGO (PGI, 2015), SABI (Photo Gallery International (P.G.I.), 2013), 1972〜 (gallery 916, Tokyo, 2013), YUBUNE (P.G.I., 2012). SAKURA (1839 Contemporary Gallery, Taipei, 2011), SEE SAW (P.G.I., 2010). Recent group exhibitions include Longer Ways to Go (Phoenix Art Museum (2017), Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona(2018)), In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3-11 (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2015), among others.

PGI Exhibitions