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KAWAUCHI Rinko is one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary photographers. Her work is exhibited globally, including a 2006 solo exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, and is often described as poetic, offering an ethereal, dream-like perspective on the everyday world we inhabit without being constrained by any one particular theme.

In celebration of her new exhibition at Arnolfini in Bristol, Rinko Kawauchi: At the edge of the everyday world (supported by the Japan Foundation and opening on 19 October), KAWAUCHI will be visiting London to reflect on her works to date, focusing on the past 10 years. She will introduce the ethos behind them, along with the philosophies that drive her photographic practice, giving an exclusive insight into the enthralling images she produces.

KAWAUCHI Rinko

KAWAUCHI Rinko is an internationally-acclaimed photographer who has appeared in countless group exhibitions, including for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012 at The Photographers' Gallery in London and for the Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 'New Documents' in Brighton. She has published a multitude of photobooks, and has held solo exhibitions near-continuously since 1998, including a 2006 major solo exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery. Her photography utilises even the smallest aspects of everyday life as a vessel by which to capture poetic reflections on themes of care, identity, sustainability, humanity, and nature, and has won her numerous awards and accolades, including an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in 2012 and an Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award in 2023.

This event is free to attend, but booking is essential.
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We are proud to collaborate with the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation as they present Life on Planet Earth, photographer NOGUCHI Rika’s first UK solo exhibition since 2004.

Featuring both photographic and video works, the exhibition conveys a sense of wonder at being in the world from various perspectives: though NOGUCHI became known for the human figures her earlier works took up as their subjects, she has since broadened her practice to also explore the ways in which other creatures – birds, mammals, fish, and insects – experience our world. Humanity is not unaccounted for, however, with video works such as The Lucent Sea (2021/2023, commissioned by the Japan Foundation) and To the Night Planet (2015) investigating alienness and alienation among human beings.

We are thrilled to announce that our Senior Arts Programme Officer, Junko Takekawa, will be speaking at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival as part of its free programme.

Join Junko, along with journalist and editor Sarah Shaffi, to learn more about some Japanese literature worth reading.
No ticket is required - just turn up!

Join TAWADA Yoko, the multi-award-winning author of The Last Children of Tokyo and Scattered All Over the Earth, for an insightful pair of talks celebrating her latest UK release, Spontaneous Acts. TAWADA will visit London’s Libreria bookshop, along with Cheltenham for The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.

About TAWADA Yoko

TAWADA Yoko was born in Tokyo in 1960, educated at Waseda University and has lived in Germany since 1982, where she received her PhD in German literature. She received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for The Bridegroom Was a Dog. She writes in both German and Japanese, and in 1996, she won the Adalbert-von-Chamisso Prize, a German award recognizing foreign writers for their contributions to German culture. She also received the Goethe-Medal, an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the prestigious Kleist Prize (2016).

Venues and dates

London
Libreria
65 Hanbury Street
Monday 7 October 2024, 19:00
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Cheltenham
The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival
The Hive, Montpellier Terrace
Tuesday 8 October 2024, 17:00
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Don’t forget to grab your copy of Spontaneous Acts before the event – click here to find out more!

Join award-winning author YUZUKI Asako, known for her tantalising thriller Butter, for a series of enlightening talks on the book and its background. YUZUKI will visit 6 cities, including Cheltenham for The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival and Manchester for the Manchester Literature Festival.

About YUZUKI Asako

Born in Tokyo in 1981. Won the All Yomimono Award for New Writers in 2008 for “Forget Me, Not Blue,” which was included in her debut work Shuten no ano ko in 2010. Won the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize in 2015 for Nile Perch no joshikai (Nile Perch Women's Club). Among her many other hit works, BUTTER was published in 2017.

Venues and dates

Cheltenham
The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival
Pillar Room, Cheltenham Town Hall
Saturday 5 October 2024, 18:30
SOLD OUT - Click for more details

Manchester
Manchester Literature Festival
Waterstones Deansgate
Monday 7 October 2024, 19:00
SOLD OUT - Click for more details

Sheffield
Off the Shelf
The Auditorium, University of Sheffield Students’ Union
Tuesday 8 October 2024, 18:00
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London
Foyles, London Charing Cross Road
Wednesday 9 October 2024, 19:00
SOLD OUT - Click for more details

Norwich
University of East Anglia
Lecture Theatre 1
Thursday 10 October 2024, 17:30
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Oxford
University of Oxford
Nissan Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College
Friday 11 October 2024, 17:30
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Don’t forget to grab your copy of Butter before the event – click here to find out more!

Step into the world of Kabuki with six stunning kimonos worn by the legendary actor BANDO Tamasaburo V, known for his renowned onnagata roles (male actor who performs female roles). Experience the intricate artistry of these garments, highlighting a diverse range of complex textile techniques, encompassing weaving, dyeing, embroidery, and hand-painting. We are delighted to collaborate with the Ashmolean Museum.

Date: 21 November 2023 - 8 December 2024

Venue: The Ashmolean Museum

Click here for details

In collaboration with William Morris Gallery, we're proudly presenting the UK's most wide-ranging exhibition dedicated to Mingei, the influential folk-craft movement originating in Japan during the 1920s and 1930s. Showcasing a diverse array of works including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, and more, this exhibition explores Mingei's cultural significance and its enduring relevance in contemporary craft and consumerism.

Date: now on, until 22 September 2024
Venue: William Morris Gallery
Click here for details

We’re delighted to support Arnolfini in Bristol as it presents esteemed Japanese photographer KAWAUCHI Rinko’s first major UK exhibition since 2006.

Rinko Kawauchi: At the edge of the everyday world features photography spanning across KAWAUCHI’s twenty-year-plus career, utilising even the smallest aspects of everyday life as a vessel by which to capture poetic reflections on themes of care, identity, sustainability, humanity, and nature.