Born in Shiga, Japan, in 1972. Lives and works in Tokyo.

In 2001 she simultaneously released a series of three photographic books – UTATANE, HANABI, HANAKO from Little More publisher, which created an overnight sensation in the photography world in Japan.

In 2002, she was awarded prestigious 27thAnnual Kimura Ihei Award for two of the books, UTATANE and HANABI. Further publications of Rinko Kawauchi, which should be mentioned, are AILA (FOIL 2004), the eyes, the ears, and Cui Cui (FOIL, 2005 / both) and Semear (FOIL, 2007). Received the eminent Annual Infinity Award 2009 by International Center of Photography, USA, in Art Category.

Kawauchi has joined and held many group and solo exhibitions both at home and abroad to date, among others, major solo exhibitions are: 2005 Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris; 2006 The Photographers’ Gallery, London; 2007 AILA + the eyes, the ears, Hasselblad Centre, Göteborg; 2007 Semear Museu de Arte Moderna de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo; 2008 Cui Cui The Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka: 2010 Rinko Kawauchi: Transient Wonders, Everyday Bliss - Photography, Video & Slides 2001-2009 ARGOS Center for Art & Media, Brussels. Major group exhibitions include: 2006 Collection of the Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain Museum Contemporary Art, Tokyo; 2008 Blooming: Brazil-Japan Where You Are Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi; Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 New Documents Brighton. Her unique approach of “drawing senses” and consistent motif of every day details, as well as circulation of life and its transience has been admired from the art lovers all over the world.

Publications

2022 - Rinko Kawauchi: M/E On this sphere Endlessly interlinking(torch press)
2021
Illuminance: The Tenth Anniversary Edition, 2021 (Aperture, NY)
Des oiseaux(On birds)(Editions Xavier Barral, Paris)
2020 - as it is (Chose Commune, Marseille)
2019 - When I was seven. (HeHe)
2018 - A New Day (Kyuryudo)
2017 - Halo (Aperture, NY / HeHe, Tokyo / Editions Xavier Barral, Paris)
2016 - The river embraced me (torch press)
2014
kirakira (with Leiko Ikemura, NOHARA)
Gift (with Terri Wifenback, IMA Photobooks)
2013
SHEETS (kominek)
Ametsuchi (Aperture, NY / Seigensha, Tokyo)
2012
Light and Shadow (Rinko Kawauchi Office, Tokyo)
Illuminance, Ametsuchi, Seeing Shadow (Seigensha, Tokyo)
2011
Illuminance (Aperture, NY / kehrer verlag, Germany / Editions Xavier Barral, Paris / POSTCART, Italy/ FOIL, Tokyo)
2010 - Murmuration (Photoworks, UK)
2007
Semear (FOIL, Tokyo)
Majun (FOIL, Tokyo)
2006
Rinko Diary Ⅱ (FOIL, Tokyo)
Rinko Diary (FOIL, Tokyo)
2005
Cui Cui (FOIL + Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporaim + Actes Sud)
the eyes, the ears, (FOIL, Tokyo)
2004 - AILA (FOIL, Tokyo)
2003 - blue (Petit Grand Publishing, Tokyo)
2001
UTATANE (Little More, Tokyo)
HANABI (Little More, Tokyo)
HANAKO (Little More, Tokyo)

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2023
“Rinko Kawauchi: M/E ―On this sphere Endlessly interlinking” Shiga Museum of Art, Shiga
2022
“Rinko Kawauchi – A Retrospective” Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich
“Rinko Kawauchi: M/E ―On this sphere Endlessly interlinking” Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo / Shiga Museum of Art, Shiga
2021
“Under the same sky” MA2 Gallery, Tokyo
“as it is” Gallery Trax, Yamanashi
“M/E” MITSUKOSHI CONTEMPORARY GALLERY, Tokyo
“A DROP” TEATON, Ishikawa
2020 -“as it is” POST, Tokyo / Gallery&Antique R AURAUJI, Osaka
2019
“When I was seven.” AGNÈS B. GALERIE BOUTIQUE, Tokyo
“Yamanami” HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO (GALLERY 9.5), Kyoto / gallery TUTUMU, Shiga
2018
“Halo” foto-forum, Bolzano, Italy
“A New Day” POST, Tokyo / Daidai Bookshop, Kumamoto
“Someday for Sure” gallery TUTUMU, Shiga
2017
“Halo” POST, Tokyo / Morioka Shoten, Tokyo
“Rinko Kawauchi – Moment” Galeria Fotografii pf, Poznan, Poland
“Halo” Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich
2016
“The river embraced me” Meessen De Clercq, Brussels
“Till The Day” NOMA t.d. store, Tokyo
“The rain of blessing” Gallery 916, Tokyo
“Someday for sure” Daidai Bookshop, Kumamoto / Gallery Trax, Yamanashi
“The river embraced me” Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Kumamoto
2015
“Let’s sing a song our bodies know” Gucci, Tokyo
“Rinko Kawauchi - Illuminance” KUNST HAUS WIEN, Vienna
2014
“Light and Shadow” rizm, Hyogo
“Ametsuchi” Lesley University College of Art and Design Main Gallery, Boston
“Rinko Kawauchi” FOMU- Fotomuseum Antwerpen, Antwerp
“New Pictures 9: Rinko Kawauchi” Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis
2013
“Ametsuchi” Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne
“Ametsuchi” Aperture Gallery, New York
“Light and Shadow” K AGIYA Building 4F Gallery, Shizuoka
“Light and Shadow” msc Gallery, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto
“Ametsuchi” ROSE GALLERY, Santa Monica
“Illuminance” Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich
“Light and Shadow” Silencio, Paris
2012
“Light and Shadow” TRAUMARIS, Tokyo
“KAWAUCHI Rinko: Illuminance, Ametsuchi, Seeing Shadow” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo
2011
“Illuminance” Ilan Gallery, Paris
“Illuminance” FOIL GALLERY, Tokyo
“A Glimmer in Silence” FO.KU.S Foto Kunst Stadtforum, Innsbruck, Austria
“Illuminance” Gallery at Hermès, New York
“murmuration” ROSE GALLERY, Santa Monica
2010
“the eyes, the ears,” Kunstverein Augsburg e.V., Augsburg, Germany
“A Glimmer in Silence” Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne
“AILA” Seian University of Art and Design, Shiga
“Rinko Kawauchi: Transient Wonders, Everyday Bliss – Photography, Video & Slides
2001–2009” ARGOS Centre for Art and Media, Brussels
“Iridescence” Meessen De Clercq, Brussels
2009
“Condensation” Mountain Fold Gallery, New York
“a pause” Gallery Trax, Yamanashi
2008
“Cui Cui” Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka
“UTATANE” Galeria Pepe Cobo, Madrid
“Semear” FOIL GALLERY, Tokyo
“Rinko Kawauchi” 77 rue des Archives 75003, Paris
2007
“RINKO KAWAUCHI” Cohan and Leslie, New York
“Semear” Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Sao Paulo
“AILA + the eyes, the ears,” Fotografins Hus, Stockholm / Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden
2006
“AILA + the eyes, the ears,” FOTOGRAFISK CENTER, Copenhagen
“AILA + the eyes, the ears,” Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne
“AILA + Cui Cui + the eyes, the ears,” Galeria Carla Sozzani, Milan
“Rinko Kawauchi” The Photographers’ Gallery, London
2005
“Cui Cui” QUARTER, Florence
“AILA and the eyes, the ears,” Cohan and Leslie, New York
“AILA” Kanaz Forest of Creation, Fukui
“AILA + Cui Cui + the eyes, the ears,” Foundation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris
2004
“AILA” UCR/California Museum of Photography, California
“AILA” Little More Gallery, Tokyo
“UTATANE” Cohan and Leslie, New York
2003
“HANABI” white cube, Kyoto
“Blue” Gallery Rocket, Tokyo
“Rinko Kawauchi” 4F gallery, Los Angels
“Wacoal photo exhibition” SPIRAL GARDEN, Tokyo
“UTATANE” vonrot gallery, Berlin
2002
“HANABI” Little More Gallery, Tokyo
“HANABI” Colette, Paris
2001
“UTATANE” Parco Museum, Tokyo
“HANABI” Gray, Tokyo
“HANAKO” Little More Gallery, Tokyo
“HIBI” Aki-Ex Gallery, Tokyo
1999 - “HITOIKI” Light Works, Kanagawa
1998 - “UTATANE” Guardian Garden, Tokyo

Selected Group Exhibitions

2022
“Wabi Sabi” Japanmuseum SieboldHuis, Netherlands
“I have not loved (enough or worked)” The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), Australia
“Des Oiseaux” Galerie Le Château d’Eau, Toulouse, France
“Rinko Kawauchi and Yamanami Kobo” evam eva Yamanashi, Yamanashi
“Art & New Ecology” THE UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM, Tokyo
“Nobuyoshi Araki y Rinko Kawauchi” Fundación Texo, Asuncion, Paraguay
“How the Bitter Orange Bore Fruit” Rainy Day Bookstore & Café, Tokyo / Bookshop Title, Tokyo / Daidai Bookshop, Kumamoto
“Flower of Life” Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka
“HOMO FABER 2020 ‘The Ateliers of Wonders’” Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
“Yamanami” umi no schole, Shiga
“Rinko Kawauchi and Yamanami Kobo” Higashi Osaka City Art Center, Osaka
2021
“Thailand Biennale Korat 2021” Korat, Thailand
“Prix Pictet 2021: Fire” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo (Touring more than 12 other spaces)
“WAYS OF TELLING” Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Tokyo
“CHIBA FOTO” Chiba Chuo Community Center, Matsunami, Chiba
“Triennale Milano ‘Les Citoyens: Uno sguardo di Guillermo Kuitca sulla collezione della Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’” Milano
“Past and Present, Positions of Japanese Photography” Mönchehaus Museum Goslar, Goslar, Germany
2020
“Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival 2020 ‘Insights into a Time: Japanese Photography Now’” Jimei, China
“Our Duty is to Experiment - 20 years Galerie PRISK A PASQUER” Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne
“Timeless Conversations 2020: Voices from Japanese Art of the Past and Present” The National Art Center, Tokyo
“The Sense of Wonder into another garden” Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka
2019
“The 15th Lianzhou Foto Festival” Lianzhou, China
“Land_Scope” Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich
“TOP Collection, Reading Images: The Time of Photography” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo
“Miffy’s Field of Flowers: The World of Dick Bruna Picture Books” Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka
“CAMK Collection Exhibition” Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Kumamoto
2018
“TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE 2018” National Portrait Gallery, London
“The 6th SIPF 2018 Festival ‘Incognito: The Eye in Search’” Singapore
“25th Anniversary in Gallery Trax vol.I” Gallery Trax, Yamanashi
“Asama International Photo Festival” Nagano
“A Beautiful Moment” Huis Marseille, Amsterdam
“A Matter of Light” PALAZZO REALE, Milan
“2018 Seoul Photo Festival” Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
“Forever (and again)” IZU PHOTO MUSEUM, Shizuoka
2017
“Japanorama. A new vision on art since 1970” Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz, France
“Prix Pictet 2017: Space” V&A Museum, London (Touring 11 other places)
“Seize the Uncertain Day” Chinretsukan Gallery, THE UNIVERSITY ART
MUSEUM, Tokyo
“Somewhere I Have Never Travelled ~ seeking the future together” URANO, Tokyo
2016
“Japanese Photography from Postwar to Now” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
“In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11” Japan Society, New York / Asia Society Texas Center, Huston
“Genius loci – The Higashikawa Awards –” Towada Art Center, Aomori
2015
“NOW AND THEN” Galerie Priska Pasquer, Cologne
“The Younger Generation: Contemporary Japanese Photography” The Getty Center, Los Angeles
“In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston
2014
“INAUGURAL EXHIBITION” SHERRICK & PAUL, Nashville, USA
“Paraty em Foco en festa” Paraty, Brazil
“BIWAKO BIENNALE 2014” Shiga
“Landskrona Fotofestival 2014” Landskrona, Sweden
“Photography will be” Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Aichi
“VIVID MEMORIES” Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris
“Gift” IMA gallery, Tokyo
“Rinko Kawauchi × NOMA t.d.” Gallery Trax, Yamanashi / TRAUMARIS, Tokyo / colissimo, Hyogo
“Toledo Contemporánea” Toledo, Spain
2013
“Exhibition of the 29th Higashikawa Award Winners” Higashikawa Bunka Gallery, Hokkaido
“The Aesthetics of Photography - Five Elements Collection Exhibition 2013” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo
“Fotografia Europea” Reggio Emilia, Italy
2012
“Aperture Remix” Aperture Gallery, New York
“Daegu Photo Biennale 2012” Daegu, Korea
“Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012” The Photographers’ Gallery, London
“To Wander a Garden” Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka
“Visible / Invisible” Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi
2011
“FotoGrafia - Festival Internazionale di Roma” Roma
“Fotofestival Mannheim Ludwigshafen Heidelberg” Mannheim, Germany
“Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal” Montreal
“Han Nefkens: 10 years of patronage” Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
“Colloquy and Soliloquy” Mountain Fold Gallery, New York
“Photographs of Children” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo
“Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art” Japan Society, New York
2010
“The 6th Lianzhou Photography Festival” Lianzhou, China
“Brighton Photo Biennial 2010 ‘New Documents’” Brighton, UK
“Summer Loves” Huis Marseille, Amsterdam
“KASSEL FOTOBOOKFESTIVAL 2010” Documenta Halle, Kassel, Germany
2009
“Touch the World” Borderless Art Museum NO-MA, Shiga
“Photography Now China, Japan, Korea” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
“Parrworld” Jeu de Paume, Paris / BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK
“FOTOGRAFIA Festival Internationale di Roma” Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome
“Verdure! New Acquisitions and Related Works of the Collection” Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi
2008
“Blooming: Brazil-Japan Where You Are” Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi
“Urban Future #2” Huis Marseille, Amsterdam
“Parrworld” Haus der Kunst, Munich
2007
“Las partes y el todo: Colección H + F [The Parts and the Whole: H + F Collection]” Fundación Foto Colectania, Barcelona
“Curator’s Choice ’07: Museum Dialogues” Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo
2006
“A to Z by Yoshitomo Nara + graf” Yoshii Brick House, Aomori
“PHotoESPAÑA 2006” Madrid
“Collection of the Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain” Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
“Whisper not!” Huis Marseille, Amsterdam
2004
“Les Recontres d’Arles” Arles, France
“Lonely Planet” Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki
2003
“The 41st Okayama City Arts Festival Program LOVE PLANET” Okayama
“HOPE” Laforet Museum, Tokyo
“FOIL” Litte More Gallery, Tokyo
2002 - “Kimura Ihei Photography Award Winners Exhibition” Minolta Photo Space Shinjuku, Tokyo
2000 - “Hinata Kanata” Landmark Tower Gallery, Kanagawa

Awards

2023 - Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award 2023
2013 - The 29th Higashikawa Award, Domestic Photographer Award
2013 - Art Encourage Prize for New Artist from the Ministry of Education
2009 - ICP 25th Annual Infinity Award, Art Category
2002 - Winner of the 27th Kimura Ihei Award
2002 - The Photographic Society of Japan, the Rookie of the Year Award
1997 - Grand Prix Prize, The Guardian Garden’s 9th Hitotsubo Award

Collections

The Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo
Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris
Huis Marseille, Amsterdam
Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, São Paulo
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco

Books from Rinko KAWAUCHI

I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now

Mikiko HARA, HIROMIX, Mao ISHIKAWA, Miyako ISHIUCHI, Mari KATAYAMA, Rinko KAWAUCHI, Hiroko KOMATSU, Michiko KON, Yurie NAGASHIMA, Asako NARAHASHI, Mika NINAGAWA, Tamiko NISHIMURA, Rika NOGUCHI, Sakiko NOMURA, Momo OKABE, Toshiko OKANOUE, Yuki ONODERA, Tomoko SAWADA, Lieko SHIGA, Kunie SUGIURA, Yuki TAWADA, Toyoko TOKIWA, Tokuko USHIODA, Hitomi WATANABE, Eiko YAMAZAWA, Miwa YANAGI

$89.32

In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11

Nobuyoshi ARAKI, Kozo MIYOSHI, Keizo KITAJIMA, Rinko KAWAUCHI, Naoya HATAKEYAMA, Lieko SHIGA, Masato SETO, Takashi HOMMA, Masaru TATSUKI, Takashi ARAI, Tomoko YONEDA, Kikuji KAWADA, Daisuke YOKOTA

$57.54 $48.91

Restock/Best of Hanabi

Rinko KAWAUCHI

$14.75

SignedSecond-hand Sheets

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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Restock/Best of as it is

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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AILA

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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Semear

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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Restock/Best of Utatane

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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Gift

Rinko KAWAUCHI, Terri WEIFENBACH

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SHEETS

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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Middle Plane Issue 6

Yoshitomo NARA, Rinko KAWAUCHI, Takashi HOMMA, Osamu YOKONAMI, Various Artists

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SignedRestock/Best of Halo

Rinko KAWAUCHI

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