Boris Mikhailov: Japan

Boris Mikhailov's Japan presents photos taken by the groundbreaking Ukrainian photographer in Tokyo during the winter of 2006-2007. "I want to know what is the real Japan and what is the difference between Japan and me," Mikhailov stated as he embarked on his first long stay there. This selection of nearly 30 color photographs made with various techniques and formats reflects Mikhailov's critical yet respectful observations of Tokyo life, while also confronting viewers' preconceived notions about the Japanese people. Mikhailov's spontaneous street scenes feature marginal figures: The old and the poor, the homeless lined up at a soup kitchen, people who have fearfully been wearing face masks since the 1995 Sarin gas attack. An ironic image of Mikhailov, his fist raised in defiance, echoes the gesture of writer and political activist Mishima Yukio, who committed Seppuku (ritual suicide) in 1970. The mix reveals Mikhailov to be an unbiased and astute social observer.