Mao Ishikawa What can I do?

This is the official catalogue for the exhibition "Ishikawa Mao: What Can I Do?", held at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery from October 13 to December 24, 2023. This extensive volume systematically compiles works from the early period of Okinawa-based photographer Ishikawa Mao (1953-) to his most recent masterpieces.

The book is structured to provide an overview of series that have been introduced in fragments up until now, including "Red Blossoms: Women of Okinawa," photographed in the 1970s, "Life in Philly," "Port Town Elegy," "Okinawa Theater," and "Eyes Seeing the Hinomaru." In particular, the "Great Ryukyu Photo Scroll," which has been undertaken since 2014, occupies a large portion of the book, allowing visitors to concentrate on recent works that focus on the history and social situation of Okinawa.

Ishikawa Mao's work is characterized by its direct portrayal of people, while being closely linked to the issue of military bases in Okinawa and its historical background. This catalogue allows visitors to follow the evolution of his style from a consistent perspective, from his early documentaries to his more recent staged works.

The fluorescent yellow binding provides high visibility, and the 432 pages of illustrations and text make it both informative and easy to read. It is useful not only as a collection of works, but also as basic material for gaining a comprehensive understanding of Ishikawa Mao's activities.

[Title] What Can I Do? Exhibition Catalogue
[Publisher] Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation
[Publication date] 2023
[Number of pages] 432 pages
[Size] Approx. 30.0 x 11.2 x 3.0 cm
[Format] Softcover
[Title reading] What can I do?
[Authors/Editors] Mao Ishikawa/Author,
[Printing] Yamada Photo Engraving/Printing
[ISBN] None
[Condition] Brand new
[Accessories] None
[Featured books]
[Related Exhibition] 2023 Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (Nishi-Shinjuku)

Mao Ishikawa (1953-)

Born in Ogimi Village, Okinawa Prefecture in 1953.
He began photography in the 1970s and studied at the WORKSHOP Photography School and Tomatsu Lighting Class in 1974.
He continues to create work based in Okinawa, and has produced photographs that closely follow the lives of people living in Okinawa, including women living near military bases, American soldiers, and actors.

Since the 1970s, he has consistently focused on portraits deeply connected to Okinawa's social situation and history, and in recent years has been working on the series "Great Ryukyu Photo Scroll" (2014-present), which captures the past and present of Ryukyu and Okinawa on multiple levels. In 2004, his work was fully introduced at a museum outside of Okinawa for the first time at the Yokohama Museum of Art's "Non-Sect Radical Contemporary Photography III."

His major awards include the Sagamihara Photography Award (2011, "FENCES, OKINAWA"), the Photographic Society of Japan Photographer Award (2019), the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award, the Domon Ken Award, and the Higashikawa Award (all in 2024). In 2021, a retrospective exhibition of his work, "Ishikawa Mao: The Life of an Ugly yet Beautiful Person, I Love Humanity," was held at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum.

His works are held in public collections both in Japan and abroad, including Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, National Museum of Art, Osaka, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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