Various - Provoke - 1968-1969

PROVOKE Complete Reprint of 3 Volumes

Koji Taki, Takuma Nakahira, Yutaka Takanashi, Takahiko Okada, Daido Moriyama, Gozo Yoshimasu
NITESHA/2018/Japanese/English/Chinese/H210×W210mm, H242×W180mm, H240×185mm/68+109+110

Provoke was a self-published magazine first conceived in November 1968 by art critic Koji Taki (1928–2011) and photographer Takuma Nakahira (1938–2015). Poet Takahiko Okada (1939–1997) and photographer Yutaka Takanashi also joined as members, and together they launched the publication. With the subtitle "Provocative Materials for Thought," the magazine was composed of photographs, essays, and poetry. From the second issue, photographer Daido Moriyama joined as well. Though only three issues were published, their activity culminated in March 1970 with the release of a compilation titled First, Abandon the World of Verisimilitude, after which the group disbanded.

The rough grain, unstable compositions using no viewfinder, and blurry, out-of-focus images earned the style the derisive nickname "Are, Bure, Boke" ("grainy, blurry, out of focus"). It stirred both praise and criticism, at times leaving a significant impact on the contemporary scene, even beyond the realm of photography. However, Provoke has since become an extremely rare and hard-to-find collector's item. As such, very few people may have had the opportunity to hold an actual copy in their hands.