It is still extremely hot. After the rainy season ended, it literally turned into a blazing hot summer. It is not an environment in which I can go out to take pictures, so I decided to “view only” instead of taking pictures. I went to the Canon Gallery in Shinagawa, Tokyo, where I was able to see several exhibitions of Mitsuaki Iwago’s photographs.
I went to the gallery because I was told that I could see multiple exhibitions of Mitsuaki Iwago’s photographs at the same time.
Masai Mara: An exhibition of photographs of wild animals in the Masai Mara National Park in Africa
What a Wonderful World: Masterpieces of nature and wildlife photography spanning a 50-year career
Cat Face: An exhibition of square-format photographs of various cat faces
The signboard at the entrance also had three in a row.
I was able to view “Cat Face” and “What a Wonderful World” side by side in two exhibition spaces on the second floor, all in one continuous view. Of course, it is not allowed to take pictures of the exhibition itself, but this picture of the entrance was allowed, so I took one.
I was impressed that he could befriend so many cats and take frontal portraits (lol), a special skill that only “World Cat Walk” Master Iwago could do. The first time I consciously saw his work was at the “Japanese Dogs” exhibition more than 20 years ago, so at that time I remembered him as a photographer who took pictures of dogs (lol), not cats.
I was again amazed by the stunning nature photography in “What a Wonderful World,” and finally, I was overwhelmed by the photographs of “Masai Mara” in the gallery on the other floor. Lions, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses, and countless wild animals whose names I don’t know well… I was just overwhelmed by the powerful photos. The pressure of the work was so great that I literally couldn’t even speak, and I often sat down in the gallery.
This guy is not just a man who takes pictures of cats!
No, I’m kidding. I swear I never seriously underestimated him as such, but even so, I am simply amazed at the talent, skill and energy of a photographer who crosses the line between “Cat Face” and “Masai Mara” with nimble steps.
Also, I had a preconceived notion that his African photographs were taken by OM SYSTEMS, rather than OLYMPUS, so I was a bit surprised to see that he was working with CANON this time.
Unfortunately, the exhibition was held until the end of July, and I apologize for the delay in introducing it on this blog.
That’s all for now, I’d like to report that I went to the exhibition.
