Norio Kobayashi: Cluster of Dreams

This is his first full-scale collection of works since "FIRST FLIGHT" published in 1992.
This book is part of a series that has been produced since 2012, focusing on snow. From powdery snow at the beginning of its fall, to artificial snow, to crystal clear snow that freezes and melts repeatedly - the various forms of snow have been painstakingly photographed all over Japan. For Kobayashi, who is originally from Odate, Akita, snow was not something he considered special, but after turning 60, he became attracted to the "purity of it disappearing without a trace" and began to point his lens at it. In addition to Akita, the photographs were taken in Nagano, Yamanashi, Gunma, Iwate and other places.

Kobayashi is a photographer who has deeply engaged with landscapes, as seen in his representative work, which documents the land readjustment of the Tama Hills, which retains traces of rural life, through fixed-point observation. His neat framing, conscious of the horizontal and vertical, is consistent throughout this work, quietly depicting the signs of "demolition" and "regeneration" hidden beneath the surface of the snow.

At the end of the book, there is an essay by Kasama Yuki titled "Remaining Snow and Blank Space." His thoughts on "white" in photography further deepen the understanding of this work. Design by Nakashin.
This book is the latest work that follows the landscape of blue tarps. It has a structure that forms a counterpart to ``Japanese Blue'' (2025).

[Title] Cluster of Dreams ( A collection of dreams)
[Publisher] Musashino Art University Press
[Publication date] February 1, 2023 (first edition) Limited to 750 copies
[Number of pages] 112 pages
[Size] Approx. 309*266*17mm, 1130g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese, English
[Title Reading] Cluster of Dreams
[Authors/Editors] Author: Norio Kobayashi, Design: Nakashin
[Printing] Tokyo Inshokan (Noboru Takayanagi/Printing Director)
[ISBN] 9784864631549
[Condition] Used [6] Above average to average (slight scratches on top and bottom of cover, slight dirt on bottom)
[Accessories] None
[Featured book] -
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Norio Kobayashi (1952-)

Born in Odate City, Akita Prefecture in 1952.
He dropped out of the Faculty of Dentistry at Nippon Dental University and graduated from the Graduate School of Tokyo College of Photography.
He began taking photographs at the age of 9. Since 1975, he has held numerous solo and special exhibitions both in Japan and overseas, and continues to create works that focus on urban peripheries and landscapes.

In 1987, he won the Newcomer Award from the Photographic Society of Japan for his photo book "LANDSCAPES," and in 1993 he won the Kimura Ihei Photography Award for his photo book "FIRST LIGHT."

He has served as a part-time lecturer at Tokyo College of Photography, Nippon Photography Institute, Tokyo Zokei University, Tohoku University of Art and Design, etc. He was a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at Musashino Art University from 2008 to 2023. He is currently a professor emeritus at Musashino Art University.

His works are housed in the collections of Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, and other art museums both in Japan and abroad.

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