Rinko Kawauchi

Rinko Kawauchi HonFRPS (川内 倫子, Kawauchi Rinko, born 1972) is a Japanese photographer. Her work is characterized by a serene, poetic style, depicting the ordinary moments in life.

Life and career Kawauchi became interested in photography while studying graphic design and photography at Seian University of Art and Design where she graduated in 1993. She first worked in commercial photography Her background and experience with design have influenced the edits and arrangements of photos in her series. Kawauchi often thinks about new ways to see her photographs, allowing her to continue to find new meaning and significance in her work. The photos in said book capture all the ordinaries and emotions of life, ranging from the happiness of childbirth to the heartbreak of death.

At age 19, she began making prints of her first black-and-white photographs, and it wasn't until five years later that she started printing color photographs. In 2004 Kawauchi published Aila; in 2010 Murmuration, and in 2011 Illuminance.

Kawauchi's art is rooted in Shinto, the ethnic religion of the people of Japan. conveying a sense of the transient. Kawauchi sees her images as parts of series that allow the viewer to juxtapose images in the imagination, thereby making the photograph a work of art and allowing a whole to emerge at the end. She likes working in photo books because they allow the viewer to engage intimately with her images. However, upon being invited to the Brighton Photo Biennial in 2010, Kawauchi first photographed digitally and began taking photos that were not square.

Style Since she began her photographic career, Kawauchi's photographs have worked to capture intimate and poetic moments of the world around her. They often include radiant light that produces a dream-like quality. The sublimity of her photographs are further enhanced by her use of soft colors as well as her awareness of beauty in even the most banal moments.

There is not one specific theme or concept that Kawauchi chooses to explore with her image creation; rather, she does it spontaneously, observing and reacting to everything that is around her before doing any sort of editing. The ritual is a long-standing tradition dating back about 1,300 years in which farmland is burned yearly to maintain its sustainability for new crops as opposed to using chemicals, and the communities at Aso are among the few that continue this tradition. Ironically, after witnessing essentially the rebirth of farmland take place, Kawauchi claims that she burned away her old self and was reborn herself. 2009: Infinity Award for Art from the International Center of Photography 2013: Minister of Education Award for New Artists 2013: Domestic Photographer Award, Higashikawa Prize, Higashikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan

Publications Photo books Utatane ("Siesta"). Tokyo: Ritoru Moa (="Little More"), 2001 (reprinted 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012). . (Japanese). Hanabi ("Fireworks"). Tokyo: Little More, 2001 (reprinted 2004, 2010). (Japanese). Hanako ("Catnap"). Tokyo: Little More, 2001. ISBN 4-89815-054-3 (Japanese). blue. Tokyo: Petit Grand 2003. (Japanese). Aila. Tokyo: Little More, 2004. (Japanese). New edition: Tokyo: Foil, 2015 . the eyes, the ears, "Photographs and Words". Tokyo: Foil, 2005 (reprinted 2007, 2010). (Japanese/English). Cui Cui. Tokyo: Foil, and Paris: Actes Sud/Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, 2005. . Photographic memories of her family. Rinko Diary. Tokyo: Foil, 2006. (Japanese). Rinko Diary II. Tokyo: Foil, 2006. (Japanese). Majun Tokyo: Foil, 2007. (Japanese). Set of 10 postcards with photographs of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Semear. Tokyo: Foil, and São Paulo: Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM), 2007. (Japanese/English/Portuguese). Photographs taken on three trips to Brazil, invited by the museum. Murmuration. Brighton: Photoworks, 2010. . Edition of 1000 copies. First digital photographs of Brighton Pier for the Photo Biennial. One Day – 10 Photographers (one signed book in a set of ten individual volumes). Heidelberg/Berlin: Kehrer, 2010. , edited by Harvey Benge. Snowflake Twelfth. (Photo-zine on 1952 novel Snowflake by Paul Gallico). Zine's Mate, 2011. Illuminance. Text by David Chandler, bibliography. New York: Aperture, 2011. . (Simultaneous editions in Japanese, German, French and Italian: Tokyo: Foil, Heidelberg/Berlin: Kehrer, Paris: Éditions Xavier Barral, Italy: Postcart.) The Tenth Anniversary Edition, expanded edition with additional texts by Masatake Shinohara and Lesley A. Martin. New York: Aperture, and London: Thames & Hudson, 2021. . (Japanese edition with another cover by Torch Press.) Light and Shadow. Tokyo: Rinko Kawauchi Office, 2012. Pictures taken in Tōhoku region after Fukushima disaster, proceeds went to relief funds. New edition: Kanagawa: Super Labo, 2014. , edition of 1000 copies (Japanese/English). Approaching Whiteness. Tokyo: Goliga, 2013 (Japanese). Printed scroll in 9 variations of 10 to 12 images each, total combined edition of 300. Illuminance, Ametsuchi, Seeing Shadows. Text by Leiko Ikemura. Kyoto: Seigen-sha, 2012. (Japanese/English). Ametsuchi. Text by Kawauchi. New York: Aperture, 2013. . (Simultaneous Japanese edition by Seigen-sha, German edition by Kehrer.) Sheets. Berlin: Kominek, 2013. . with Leiko Ikemura. kirakira. Shizuoka: Nohara, 2014. ISBN 978-4-904257-25-8 (Japanese). with Terri Weifenbach. Gift, two books in slipcase. Tokyo: Amana, 2014. . The river embraced me. Tokyo: Torch Press, 2016. . Halo. New York: Aperture, 2017. . (Simultaneous Japanese and French editions: Tokyo: HeHe, Paris: Éditions Xavier Barral.) with Seung Woo Back. Composition No. 1. Japan: Iann, 2017. ISBN 979-11-85374-16-1 (Japanese/Korean/English). Mobile phone photographs by both and conversations recorded for about 100 days. Hajimari no hi ("A New Day"). Japan: Kyuryudo, 2018. (Japanese). Words and pictures in the format of a children's picture-book. When I was seven. Tokyo: HeHe, 2019. . For French fashion brand agnès b. As It Is. Marseille, France: Chose Commune, 2020. (French/English). (Simultaneous Japanese edition by Torch Press.) Sonnafuu ("Like that"). Photographs and texts. Japan: Nanarokusha, 2020. ISBN 978-4-904292-98-3 (Japanese). Early Works 1997, mini portfolio (205 × 258 mm) with 6 color collotype prints. Japan: Benrido, 2021. Des Oiseaux (On Birds). Text by ornithologist Guilhem Lesaffre. Paris: Éditions Xavier Barral, 2021. . (Simultaneous French edition.) M/E – On this sphere / Endlessly interlinking. Exhibition catalogue, texts by Masatake Shinohara, Hana Takigami and Yasuhiro Arai. Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun, 2022. Yamanami. Japan: Shinyodo, 2022. ISBN 978-4-910387-02-4. with Shuntarō Tanikawa. Here and Now. Tokyo: Torch Press, 2023. ISBN 978-4-907562-43-4 (Japanese/English). Poem by Tanikawa originally for music by Ikuko Harada.

Video works 2012: Seeing Shadow (14:50 min) 2012: Ametsuchi (14:50 min) 2012: Haruarashi (Spring Storm) (5:55 min) 2015: Illuminance (56:26 min) 2017: Halo (7:07 min)

Exhibitions Solo exhibitions 1998: Utatane, Guardian Garden, Tokyo 1999: Hitoiko, Light Works, Yokohama, Japan 2000: Hibi, Aki-Ex Gallery, Tokyo 2001: Hanabi, Gray Gallery, Tokyo (book) 2001: Hanako, Little More Gallery, Tokyo (book) 2001: Utatane, Parko Gallery, Tokyo (book) 2002: Collette, Paris, France 2003: vonRot Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2004: Cohan and Leslie, New York 2003: Rinko Kawauchi, 4F Gallery, Los Angeles, California 2003: Wacall Photo Exhibition, Spiral Garden, Tokyo 2004: Aila, California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside (book) Little More Gallery, Tokyo 2005: Cohan and Leslie, New York Kanaz Forest of Creation, Fukui, Japan 2004: Galerie Priska Pasquer at Paris Photo 2005: Cui Cui, Quarter, Florence, Italy (book) 2005: Aila + Cui Cui + the eyes, the ears, Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris (book: the eyes, the ears) Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan, Italy 2005/06: Aila + the eyes, the ears, Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen, Denmark Fotografins Hus, Stockholm, Sweden Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden 2006: Rinko Kawauchi, The Photographers' Gallery, London. 2006/07: Rinko Kawauchi, Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne, Germany (and Paris Photo) 2007: Rinko Kawauchi, Cohan and Leslie, New York 2007: Semear, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, São Paulo. (book) 2008: Foil Gallery, Tokyo 2008: Cui Cui, Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka, Japan 2008: Rinko Kawauchi, Antoine de Vilmorin, Paris 2009: Condensation, Mountain Fold Gallery, New York 2009: a pause, Gallery Trax, Yamanashi, Japan 2010: the eyes, the ears, Kunstverein Augsburg, Germany 2010: A Glimmer in Silence, Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne 2010: Aila, Seian University of Art and Design, Shiga, Japan 2010: Iridescence, Meessen de Clercq, Brussels, Belgium 2010: Rinko Kawauchi: Transient Wonders, Everyday Bliss – Photography, Video and Slides 2001–2009, Argos Center for Art and Media, Brussels 2011: Illuminance, Foil Gallery, Tokyo. (book) Gallery at Hermès, NewYork 2013: Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland 2012: Light and Shadow, Traumaris Photography Space, Tokyo. (book) 2012: Illuminance, Ametsuchi, Seeing Shadow, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo. 2013: Ametsuchi, Aperture Gallery, New York. (book) 2013/14: Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne. (Edition of 1000 prints of a photo from the series) 2014: Main Gallery, Lesley University College of Art and Design. 2014: Illuminance & Ametsuchi, Fotomuseum Antwerp (in cooperation with Galerie Priska Pasquer) 2014: New Pictures 9: Rinko Kawauchi, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis. 2015: Illuminance, KunstHausWien, Vienna 2016: Museum of Contemporary Art, Kumamoto, Japan (book: The river embraced me) 2017: Halo, Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich. (book) 2022: M/E On this sphere / Endlessly interlinking, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery (book) 2023: Shiga Museum of Art 2024: a faraway shining star, twinkling in hand, Fotografiska Stockholm. 2024: a faraway shining star, twinkling in hand, Fotografiska Tallinn. 2024: a faraway shining star, twinkling in hand, Fotografiska Berlin . 2025: Rinko Kawauchi, Galerie écho 119, Paris

Group exhibitions 2005: Autumn 2005, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Netherlands 2008: Creatures from the Collection and Other Themes, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Netherlands 2008: Review/Preview – Japanese Photographs, Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne (with Osamu Shiihara, Shōmei Tōmatsu, Daidō Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Issei Suda, Asako Narahashi, Rinko Kawauchi, and Mika Ninagawa) 2010: Summer Loves, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Netherlands 2010: Brighton Photo Biennial: New Documents, curated by Martin Parr, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, UK. (book: Murmuration) 2011: Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art, curated by David Elliott, Japan Society, New York. With Kawauchi and Makoto Aida, Manabu Ikeda, Tomoko Kashiki, Haruka Kojin, Kumi Machida, Yoshitomo Nara, Kohei Nawa, Motohiko Odani, Hiraki Sawa, Chiharu Shiota, Tomoko Shioyasu, Hisashi Tenmyouya, Yamaguchi Akira, Miwa Yanagi and Tomoko Yoneda. 2015: In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (catalogue) 2018: A Beautiful Moment, Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Netherlands 2026: Nusfjord x Fotografiska. An exhibition with Elizaveta Porodina in Nusfjord, Norway

Collections Kawauchi's work is held in the following collections:

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco: 7 works. Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography, Amsterdam Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo