Gender-bending blokes back in the buff for Japanese photo exhibition

Gender-bending blokes back in the buff for Japanese photo exhibition
Mainichi Daily News 2006/04/03

(Photo) One of the men appearing in photographer Ryudai Takano's current Tokyo exhibition, "In My Room.

"There's nothing rare about nude photos in Noughties Japan, but one Tokyo exhibition featuring naked subjects is currently stirring up a fuss for its "different" presentation of beautiful bods in the buff, according to Sunday Mainichi (4/9).

Renowned photographer Ryudai Takano's "In My Room" follows the formula by focusing on beautiful people when it comes to his nude shots, but where the snapper strays from the well-trodden path is that all his "beautiful people" are actually "beautiful blokes," even those made up as women.

Takano has made a photographic career out of shooting exclusively male subjects. He's held loads of exhibitions, produced countless numbers of portraits and built up a solid fan base. But those seeing his pictures for the first time often get a bit of a shock.

Female nudes can be found just about anywhere portrait art is displayed, but the male nude, particularly in photography remains somewhat of a rarity. Not that the artist particularly cares.

"Just look at the photos first, and if you get some enjoyment out of them, great," he tells Sunday Mainichi. "There's no deep meaning behind the photos and I wasn't thinking of anything in particular when I took 'em."

Actually, earlier this month, Takano was rewarded for his decades of high class photography when he was presented with the 31st Ihei Kimura Award, the highest prize for photography in Japan.

"I hope (the prize) gets people coming here to see the exhibit...that'd make me really happy," the shutterbug tells Sunday Mainichi. "Most of the time I've put works on display in the past there hasn't been a great deal of people come to see them." (By Ryann Connell)

April 3, 2006