Look Inside
Which art books, prints and posters are available by and about this artist? Here is a sample of items of interest to a typical collector:
Kohei Yoshiyuki, Japanese (1946-2022)
Yoshiyuki was a Japanese photographer renowned for his provocative, candid documentation of nocturnal subcultures, voyeurism, and human desire in 1970s Tokyo. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Yoshiyuki began his career as a commercial photographer. In the early 1970s, he noticed clandestine nighttime encounters taking place in prominent Tokyo locations, such as Shinjuku, Yoyogi, and Aoyama parks, and discovered a surrounding network of spectators lurking in the shadows.
To capture these moments without altering the environment, Yoshiyuki used a 35mm camera equipped with infrared film and a custom infrared flash. His signature series, titled The Park (Kōen), focused not only on couples engaged in intimate acts, but equally on the spectators watching them from the bushes. His raw images explored boundaries between observation, participation, surveillance, and privacy, shedding light on a hidden aspect of post-war Japanese urban culture.
First exhibited in Tokyo in 1979 and published as a photobook in 1980, the series resurfaced internationally in 2007 at the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York. The critical acclaim launched Yoshiyuki onto the global stage. His work has since been exhibited at major institutions worldwide, including the Tate Modern, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the 55th Venice Biennale. Today, his prints are held in permanent collections at renowned institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
