We are pleased to present a retrospective solo exhibition of Japanese photographer Toshiya Watanabe at IBASHO.

Toshiya Watanabe was born in Fukushima, Japan, in 1966. During his graphic design studies at Tama Art University in 1990 he was chosen by PARCO art competition in Japan as one of the top 20 most promising photographers. Currently, he divides his time between being an art director for advertising and a photographer.

In his series ‘Somewhere not Here’ Watanabe explores the depths of consciousness to create his magical realistic images. Magical realism questions what’s being represented in front of the viewer’s eyes and endows everything with a deeper meaning. In Watanabe’s photographs of real landscapes, such as the sea, the city, and vegetation, reality disappears, resulting in a feeling of being ‘not here, but somewhere else’. Both instability and beauty exist in the pictures for which Watanabe used infrared film. The series ‘Somewhere not Here’ uses society as a subject, focusing on something that appears and disappears underneath everyday life. 

He continues his exploration of magical realism in the series ‘Beyond what you see’, which is a continuation of ‘Somewhere not Here’. Like Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, Watanabe depicts the subjects in his photographs in-between the mystical and the real world, creating a sense of confusion in the viewer. Watanabe’s work has also something similar to the Japanese concept of ‘ma’, a moment of silence or emptiness for awareness and contemplation. His work stimulates the viewer to pause, reflect and engage with the world around us.

Both projects, ‘Somewhere not here’ and ‘Beyond what you see’ are on display at IBASHO.

During the vernissage on 14 September Watanabe’s new book ‘Beyond what you see’ published in 2024 by IBASHO together with The(M)editions (Paris), will be launched. Watanabe will be present.

Artists: Toshiya Watanabe