Daido Moriyama
I feel bad saying this, and you will have to read on to find more positive suggestions about this book, but I think Moriyama has become quite a pastiche of his earlier glory. I understand how he arrives at that conclusion, and frankly, most people will likely be inclined to argue with my position or find it irrelevant—Im fine with both. There appears to have been a turning point in Moriyama’s career around the late 1990s, when the tropes in his work were brought to the forefront, and the cycles of repetition became, if in the 1960s, something akin to Warhol’s Factory, and in contemporary times, a variation of Murakami and Hirst’s industry. The point of which seems less about producing good work than it does about earning a good income.
Of course, some of this is due to being tired, some of it is due to his handlers emphasizing production over quality, and maybe a little bit of it is about legacy. I was pretty bored at this stage, looking at fishnet tights, pictures of cats, and the same street photographs that were emphasized to a colossal degree in his Light and Shadow from 1982. Moriyama is a legend; this much is true, and perhaps that is why I am less inclined to look at many of his later offerings as such. A monumental early career means that maintaining the high standard will likely be impossible if production ramps up.
Avo Tavitian
Having said all of this, I do like several photographs from the artist in his collaborative book with Avo Tavitian Los Angeles Shinjuku, published recently by Nazraeli Press. There are a few things with this book that I think stand out, and I want to mention that I think it stands out for a couple of reasons, though I will do so, suffering the inevitable mannequin and fishnet pictures inside. First and foremost, it is interesting to see Avo Tavitian’s work, an artist I was not previously aware of, though a cursory examination of his and his family’s background reveals a keen interest in the arts and a fascinating story of immigration.
Whether I think all of Avi’s work is excellent is not necessarily vital, as there are a few key images from Los Angeles, notably the images of the airport from above and several magnificent and dusky images of cars passing along the freeway, along with additional photographs of the city’s panorama that are truly impressive. I would love to edit a series of those pictures more than the bland and frankly stereotypical images of tires, vernacular signs, and newspapers that draw attention away from the artist’s more significant photos. That these two have collaborated based on two massive cities in exchange is neither groundbreaking nor illustrative of either geography. That said, there is a feeling of aesthetic solidarity between the cities and the work produced.
Avo Tavitian
As for Moriyama’s work, there are several standout images, including pock-marked walls, billboards at night, and a railroad rail picture, which I think are quite spirited and remind me of the work found in Light and Shadow, glimpses of the artist’s former glory. These images are sadly padded out with fairly regrettable pictures of mannequins and fishnets. The overuse of cat photographs also becomes an exhausted motif. This editing is what makes this book a passing trade, a pig in a poke, versus something exciting. What saves it and brings it back from the edge is the design. Here, the editing choices can be somewhat forgiven, given the minimal design, which is enhanced by the interesting use of fore-edge colophon printing—a device that I think adds value to the book. The black-printed pages also help illuminate some of the images, and stylistically, the book is well thought out as an object overall. However, the choice of photographs could be stronger on Moriyama’s side. Fatigue set in long ago with his Warholian use of repetition, and this is certainly on display here. It has dimmed his output significantly.
Daido Moriyama
In summation, I think the publisher did an excellent job with the book object. I suspect the images used were from an exhibition, which may explain the poor editing choice by the Bare and Ishiwata team. What sells on a wall is not necessarily great fodder for a book, and vice versa. Here, the images are relatively thin, but if it is to act as a sales catalog or a post-sales catalog, I can understand why it has come together the way it has. As a fan of Moriyama, I find the handling of the last 30 years of his career somewhat disingenuous to the artist he truly is. Those early decades were unparalleled, and if he had made the records, Farewell, Light and Shadow, along with some of the color volumes, I think he could have said as much with under 10 books as he has had with the hundreds that get pumped out every year. Tavitian’s work here shows incredible promise. I believe he probably has significant holdings worth a volume if edited with nuance. Get this if you are interested in book design. It will remain on my shelves because of this and the Tavitian images, if not the Moriyama photos.