Yumiko Utsu - OUT of ARK

Yumiko Utsu's photobook "OUT of ARK" is a collection of original images constructed around the idea of "the world left outside Noah's Ark."

By combining familiar motifs such as food, insects, dolls, and figures, and creating situations slightly shifted from reality, she brings forth a world that is strange and grotesque, yet somehow humorous and endearing. The images, created with vivid colors and meticulous composition, possess an unforgettable intensity.

Against a backdrop of concern for disappearing ecosystems and cultures, the artist alienates commonplace existences, re-examining their beauty and wonder. This book is a collection of works that affirms the richness of a chaotic world and presents "another form of life" that shakes the viewer's senses.

●Recipient of the 26th Hitotsubo Award for Photography Grand Prize.

[Title] はこぶねのそと / OUT of ARK
[Publisher] G/P, Art Beat Publishers (Distributor)
[Publication Date] December 25, 2009 (First Edition)
[Page Count] 178 pages
[Size] Approx. 261*183*16mm / 755g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] HAKOBUNE NO SOTO
[Author/Editor, etc.] Yumiko Utsu / Author, Shigeo Goto / Editor, Hideki Nakajima / Art Direction & Design
[Printing] Daishinsha
[ISBN] 9784902080278
[Condition] Used 【7】Good (Slight scuffing on obi)
[Accessories] Obi
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibition] 2009 "OUT of ARK" G/P gallery

Yumiko Utsu 1978-

Born in Tokyo in 1978. Photographer.
Dropped out of Waseda University's School of Letters, Arts and Sciences I in 2001. After graduating from Tokyo School of Photography in 2002 and working at Shoto Studio, she began her career as a photographer.
In 2006, she gained attention after winning the Grand Prix at the 26th Hitotsubo Exhibition for Photography.

She has presented works that combine strangeness, humor, and beauty, using a unique style that constructs situations shifted from reality by combining familiar objects such as insects, food, and dolls.

She has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and internationally, and recently received the 34th "Shashin no Kai" Award (2024). Her major photobooks include "OUT of ARK" (2009) and "Wunderkammer" (2023). Currently, in addition to her creative work, she is also involved in education, working as an instructor at a photography school and running private classes.

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