Kaneko, Hiroyo: Appearance

All the subjects portrayed in California-based Japanese photographer Hiroyo Kaneko’s project “Appearance” have been photographed in the act of singing. Originally, the series focused only on children, with whom Kaneko – feeling isolated and as if newly entering the world in her new home of California – sympathized on a deeper level.

While singing, Kaneko’s subjects tread between the personal and the social, between consciousness and unconsciousness, between revealing and acting. Capturing this self-expressive, creative, vulnerable act, Kaneko’s project provides straightforward portraits of humanity as each frame fills with invisible music.

“By photographing the act of singing, I try to capture both the uniqueness and commonality of each subject. Naturally, they have their own individual physicality—how they open their mouths, move their body and finally how they connect with their audience, whether real or imaginary.” (from the artist’s statement)

Title: Appearance
Publisher, Year: Seigensha, 2020
Author: Hiroyo Kaneko
Photographer: Hiroyo Kaneko
Format: Hardcover
Size: 28.0 x 27.0 cm, 144 pages
ISBN: 978-4-86152-774-6