Many Japanese photographers came to New York to take photographs in the seventies and eighties, Kitajima arguably produced the best. Keizo Kitajima spent six months in New York roaming it’s gritty streets and hanging out in its clubs. He presented a vision of eighties New York, full of energy, decadence and moments of quiet desperation. Like the city, the publication itself is full of stark juxtapositions. Flamboyant displays of outrageous behaviour live next door to pictures of desolation and dejection. Kitajima studied with Daido Moriyama, and was an original member of the “Work Shop” school.

Courtesy of Little Big Man Gallery Los Angeles

ASX CHANNEL: KEIZO KITAJIMA