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Rinko Kawauchi

Illuminance is the first book produced outside Japan by Rinko Kawauchi, who, since 2001, has received wide international acclaim for her work. The book brings together a large body of photographs that, although spanning ten years of work, have never been published before.

Chandler’s essay ‘Weightless Light’ is intended to offer a sustained evaluation of her photographic style and approach. It also situates her work in its broader context: for example, considering its relationship to earlier traditions in Japanese photography – in particular to Japan’s notable history of photobook production – and to the country’s recent history and culture. The essay also explores the specific function of editing and sequencing in Kawauchi’s books, and her work’s unique development of personal fragmented narratives.

The essay is based on a period of a year’s close dialogue between Chandler and the artist and on a series of interviews and meetings held during 2009 and 2010. The dialogues offer a series of original insights into Kawauchi’s work.