Ichiro KIKUCHI

"Gikei 1998-2006"

Pages: 86 / photos: 75
Size: 234x207x13mm / hardcover
Price: 2,900JPY
Release Date: January 2007

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From this book's title and the cover--which features two fake giraffes looking at each other--it's clear that it's not going to feature pastoral images of the lush Japanese countryside! Kikuchi is concerned with uncovering something about the relationship between humans and nature, which is especially pertinent in Japan, where, to take one example, all but a few rivers have been enclosed in concrete.

Thankfully, this work is not dogmatic in its presentation, as we see different relationships between the natural and man-made worlds. Sometimes we see largely natural scenes with only a little bit of construction, while in other photos the man made structures themselves are presented as the "landscape," with the odd tree or rock formation looking out of place. Indeed, the work passes no judgment on its subjects; it is still possible to speak of a kind of beauty here, even as the photos document a threatened idea of landscape.