Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, 2008
Type-c print, 32 x 40 in
Edition 10
"When I returned to Japan [after studying in Belgium in the 1970s], I started taking photos showing the contrast between our infrastructure and the nature around it. At the time, Japan was a messy mixture of western culture and old Japanese tradition. It was not a photogenic place, so I chose to focus on finding the beauty in non-photogenic structures, the stuff most photographers would ignore.
I often find places to photograph simply by accident... My favourite thing to do is to pull out a map and point to somewhere new, then drive there in search of something interesting. I don’t want people around when I work, I want to work quietly and comfortably. I love the Japanese countryside. Everywhere I go is a live studio."
TOSHIO SHIBATA
