Tomoko Sawada

To Be Bewitched by a Fox

Mar. 2—May 9, 2021

• Mar. 2—May 9, 2021
• Closed Mondays (Except May 3)
• Admission：Adults ￥700(560)／College Students ￥560(440)／High School and Junior High School Students, Over 65 ￥350(280) *Prices in parenthesis apply to groups of 20 or more. (Reservation is required.) , admission is free for grade school children or younger; junior high school students living or attending schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area and holders of Japan’s disability identification cards (shogaisha techo) together with two caregiver, and holders of the museum’s annual passport (check the Passport benefits at a glance)

Sawada Tomoko is an internationally renowned contemporary feminist artist and the winner of the 2000 Canon New Cosmos of Photography Award for her self-portrait piece titled “ID400.” As a “photographer who doesn’t press the shutter” herself, Sawada has consistently used her own figure and face as a means of expression in various methods of self-portraiture. This exhibition marks Sawada’s first solo exhibition at a Japanese art museum. In addition to unveiling new works by the artist, it will focus on her artistic journey as she continues to produce art that questions the differences between “interior” and “exterior,” illustrated by her influential debut piece and representative works.




 ID400, 1998 ©Tomoko Sawada


FACIAL SIGNATURE, 2015 ©Tomoko Sawada


Sign, 2012 ©Tomoko Sawada


This is who I am, 2010 ©Tomoko Sawada


Decoration/Face , 2008 ©Tomoko Sawada

Works｜
1: Reflection, 2020, Chromogenic print [set of 100]
2: KAGEBŌSHI, 2018, Single channel video, B&W, silent, loop
3: BLOOM, 2017-2020, Ink-jet print [set of 22] 
4: FACIAL SIGNATURE, 2015, Chromogenic print [set of 300]
5: Sign, 2012, Chromogenic print [2 sets of 56]
6: This is who I am, 2010, Chromogenic print [set of 36]
7: Decoration/Face, 2008, Chromogenic print [set of 20]
8: MASQUERADE, 2006, Chromogenic print [set of 50] 
9: Recruit, 2006, Chromogenic print [3 sets of 100]
10: glasses, 2006, Chromogenic print [set of 10]
11: cover/Face, 2002, Chromogenic print [set of 20]
12: ID400, 1998, Original prints from automated ID photo machines / Gelatin silver print [4 sets of 100 / 1 set of 4] *SKIN HEAD, 1 set of 4, owned by the artist
13: Untitled, 1996, Diffusion transfer process

About the Exhibition｜Tomoko Sawada
This exhibition brings together new and old pieces from multiple series to form a new work, To Be Bewitched by a Fox. The concept is masks—in Japanese, both kamen and omen. Wearing a kamen con-ceals your true form, and there is no need to act, but when you wear an omen, the assumption is that you play the associated role. My works deal with kamen, but many people who see them seem to think I’m performing. I have never met anyone who thinks about my work in the same way that I do. But that’s fine. Everyone is free to simply enjoy the transformations or look at the pieces with a critical eye as they choose. I continue to examine the relationship between outer appearance and inner self from different angles, but I’m not sure I understand my works, either. I may be the one who yearns to understand them most of all.


KAGEBŌSHI, 2018, Single channel video, B&W, silent, loop ©Tomoko Sawada

Sawada Tomoko｜
Born in 1977 Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, where she is a current resident. Graduated from the Seian University of Art and Design with a degree in Photography. Sawada is known for her self-portrait pieces that examine the relationship between internal identity and outward appearance. She won the 2000 Canon New Cosmos of Photography Award for her debut piece “ID400,” the 2003 Kimura Ihei Memorial Photography Award, and the 20th annual ICP Infinity Award for Young Photographers from the International Center of Photography in New York. In addition to hosting art exhibitions around the world, she also publishes photo books and picture books.

Instagram｜＠tomokosawada_artist
Website｜http://tomokosawada.com/

＊The schedule is subject to change. Any further changes will be announced.

Organized by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
Supportted by Horiuci Color Ltd.
With a grant from The Asahi Shimbun Foundation