Satoshi Hirano: Reconstruction. Shibuya, 2014-2017: Steidl Book Award Japan

Description

This book documents the large-scale redevelopment of the laby - rinthine Shibuya train station in the heart of Tokyo's world-famous shopping district. Although many such ambitious construction projects are currently underway throughout Japan's ever-renewing capital in preparation for the Olympic Games in 2020, the work at Shibuya Station is in a particularly dense and active area-the world's busiest pedestrian crossing (where up to 2,500 people simultaneously traverse the street in five directions) is only a stroll away, while the station's nine train lines have remained operational throughout renovations. Mixing black-and-white and color images taken at various times of day and night, Reconstruction is both a collection of stilled moments from this bustling process of transformation and an unconventional portrait of Shibuya.

Born in 1983, Hirano Satoshi today lives and works in Tokyo. His recent exhibitions include the solo show "Reconstruction" at the Nikon Salon in Tokyo and Osaka, and the group show "45 Frames from PhotoVogue" at the Leica Gallery in Milan. Satoshi's work is held in collections including the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Hokuto.

Reconstruction is not a neat and tidy chronology documenting a start to finish visual narrative. There is no before/after pictorial summation. It does not present itself as a glossy coffee table book. What it does present is a fascinating look at the nighttime visuals of an all-encompassing construction site replete with the messiness of cranes, scaffolding, barriers, and all manner of heavy equipment necessary to carry out the objectives of such an ambitious project--Rudy Vega "Photobook Journal" Satoshi's series takes a look at the redevelopment of the Shibuya train station in Tokyo, bringing together images taken at both day and night under a distinctive black and white aesthetic...despite its lively reputation, the photographs feel dark and intense, offering a glimpse of the industrial underbelly buried beneath many of our cities.--Megan Williams "Creative Review"