BIGEI

SHUMOKU GALLERY is pleased to present the second solo exhibition of Tenmei Kanō (b. 1942), following last year’s successful show.

Born in Nagoya in 1942, Kanō graduated from Nagoya City Technical High School and aspired to become a photographer. He studied under Fujiichi Ogawa, a photographer based in Nagoya.

He later moved to Tokyo and, in 1962, began working as an assistant to the photographer Takashi Kijima.

After becoming an independent freelance photographer, Kanō went on to create numerous works that hold significant importance in the history of Japanese photography. He has remained active at the forefront of the field across a range of genres, including advertising and portrait photography.

Last year’s exhibition featured his early work “Still Life at 18” (1960), and a series on the Sanrizuka protest movement from 1970 that attracted attention from the art world.

In this exhibition, we present a series of photographs Kanō took during his first visit to New York in 1969, now shown as photographic prints.

These works were taken during a dynamic and formative period in Kanō’s career—a time when he was constantly pushing boundaries. Captured in what was then the global epicenter of the art world, these images not only document the era but already reveal the distinctive perspective of Tenmei Kanō, who seeks to capture the essence of his subjects.

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Concurrent Exhibition
At the same time, CANON GALLERY (Nagoya) will host a related exhibition:
“GROUND ZERO N.Y. – Tenmei Kanō Photo Exhibition”
Dates: May 19 (Thu) – June 1 (Wed)