Daido Moriyama: Record

InspiredbytheworkofanearliergenerationofJapanesephotographers,especiallybyShomeiTomatsu,andbyWilliamKlein’sseminalphotographicbookonNewYork,DaidoMoriyamamovedfromOsakatoTokyointheearlysixtiestobecomeaphotographer.HebecametheleadingexponentofafiercenewphotographicstylethatcorrespondedperfectlytotheabrasiveandintenseclimateofTokyoduringaperiodofgreatsocialupheaval.Hisblackandwhitepicturesweremarkedbyfiercecontrastandfragmentary,evenscratched,frames,whichconcealedhisvirtuosoprinting.BetweenJune1972andJuly1973heproducedhisownmagazinepublication,Kiroku,whichwasthenreferredtoasRecord.Itbecameadiaristicjournalofhisworkasitdeveloped.TenyearsagohewasabletoresumepublicationofRecord,whichgraduallyexpandedinextent.Todatehehaspublishedthirtyissues,anumberofthemincludingcolour.ThepublicationofRecordasabookenablesworkfromallthirtyissuestobeeditedintoasinglesequence,punctuatedbyMoriyama’sowntextasitappearedinthemagazines.ItusedtobeassumedthatMoriyama’speculiarlyJapanesestylewastiedtohisTokyoroots.TheevidenceofthelasttenyearsdemonstratesthatMoriyama,arestlessworldtraveller,hasbeenabletoapplyhisuniquevisiontonorthernEurope,southernFrance,thecitiesofFlorence,London,Barcelona,Taipei,HongKong,NewYorkandLosAngelesaswellastothealleysofOsaka,andthelandscapeofHokkaido.ThebookendsinAfghanistan.