Yuichi Hibi (born 1964,
Nagoya City,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
) is a Japanese
fine art photographer currently living and working out of
New York City.
Biography
Prior to moving to the United States, Hibi trained as a stage and film actor as well as a filmmaker in Japan. In 1988, Hibi moved to New York City, knowing very little English, to further his acting career. For him, the city was bleak, grimy and alienating, the New York of “
Taxi Driver” and “
Midnight Cowboy,” gritty films he had watched as a teenager in Japan. As an import he found himself to be a natural outsider to the culture he was trying to become a part of. He began making photographs and within that work he evoked a sense of longing and isolation and understanding of things that often are overlooked. He returned to Japan in the early 1990s to find everything he once had known had changed, himself included. He continued to photograph in Japan with a similar "
film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
" undertone. These New York and Japan photos were published by
Nazraeli Press in a 2005 monograph titled "Imprint."
In 2008, Nazraeli Press published another monograph by Yuichi Hibi, titled "Neco." Over many years, Hibi photographed cats at rest, play, and on the hunt. Not simply documenting the cats, Hibi captures the essence of being a feline.
Hibi's photographic work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Meanwhile, Hibi continues to seek roles in film making. In 2001, he directed a documentary on photographer
Robert Frank
Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled ''The Americans'', earned Frank comparisons to a modern-da ...
, "A Weekend with Mr. Frank". A companion book to A Weekend with Mr. Frank was released by Nazraeli Press in fall 2006 as part of their One Picture Book series.
A documentary directed by Hibi based on the life of
Ken Takakura entitled ''Ken San'' premiered at the
2016 Cannes Film Festival
The 69th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian director George Miller was the President of the Jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies. On 15 Marc ...
and was released in Japanese theaters on August 20, 2016. It featured interviews with filmmakers and actors such as
Martin Scorsese,
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first received widespread recognition through his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collabo ...
,
Michael Douglas,
John Woo, and
Yoji Yamada.
Solo exhibitions
*2013 Yuichi Hibi: Salt of the Earth, only photography, Berlin, Germany
*2009 Yuichi Hibi: Neco,
Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA
*2009 Yuichi Hibi: Neco, Michael Dawson Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
*2007 Yuichi Hibi: imprint, Art Labor Gallery, Shanghai, China
*2006 Yuichi Hibi: imprint Onishi Galley, New York, NY
*2006 Yuichi Hibi: imprint, Michael Dawson Galley, Los Angeles, CA
*2006 Yuihci Hibi: imprint,
Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA
*2004 Yuichi Hibi: imprint, Staton-Greenberg Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
*2003 Yuichi Hibi: Zero Hour, Marvelli Gallery, New York, New York, NY
*2001 Yuichi Hibi: imprint, Gallery Space Sushiden, New York, NY
*2001 Yuichi Hibi: imprint, Marvelli Gallery, New York, NY
Group exhibitions
*2009 9 Years, Fifty-One Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
*2008 Accrochage, Fifty-One Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
*2008 Book Dummies, Education Galleries, ICP, New York, NY
*2008 PARIS PHOTO, Paris, France
*2008 Ten: Gifts of SBMA Photo Futures, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, CA
*2007 Branching Out, SEPIA International Inc., New York, NY
*2007 AIPAD-Miami, FL
*2007 PHOTO-LA, Los Angeles, CA
*2006 AIPAD-NY, New York, NY
*2006 PHOTO-LA, Los Angeles, CA
*2003 Faces, SEPIA International Inc., New York, NY
*2003 The Gift Show, Staton-Greenberg Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
*2002 Land, Staton-Greenberg Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
*2002 The Armory Photography Show, New York, NY
*2001 Dream Street, SEPIA International Inc., New York, NY
*1993 Center for the Arts “Collectors’ Choice", St. Petersburg, FL
*1993 Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York, NY
External links
Official websiteGallery 339Photo-eye Bookstore
* Permanent Collection of The Joy of Giving Somethin
JGS
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibi, Yuichi
1964 births
Living people
Japanese photographers
Fine art photographers