shashasha

With her 2020 photobook “As it is,” Rinko Kawauchi returns her photographic focus to personal universe that surrounds her. Following photographs of a blue sky and a shimmering river, “As it is” begins to knit profoundly significant events, like the birth of her daughter three years ago, with mundane moments. Throughout the book, Kawauchi documents not only her child growing up and discovering her surroundings but also captures the sense of unbridled curiosity and positivity towards the world. Through this lens, Kawauchi shows us the beauty of nature – in little creatures, in single plants, in patterns of leaves, in the red of a bud sprouting in spring – and of daily, mundane life. Interspersed are short texts by Kawauchi drawing light to the ubiquity of her daughter and the raw, abundant vitality that she embodies.
A book that adds new shades of meaning to the sights and events of mundane, ordinary life – published in a year when the mundane and ordinary have largely disappeared from our lives.

“The pages navigate between the inside and the outside, always within close distance as, through her unique eye, Kawauchi effortlessly catches the fleeting beauty of the in-between moments, telling the story of an ordinary family going through life just as it is.” — from the publisher’s description

“As it is” is a close collaboration between Japanese publisher Torch Press and French publisher Chose Commune. Please note that all texts in this edition are only included in Japanese.