Michael Wolf (1954 - 2019) - Tokyo Compression # 103

One edition of 9, a 50cm x 40cm of Michael Wolf's Tokyo Compression #103. Michael Wolf sadly passed away in 2019, this print was issued in 2021.

The print was purchased from Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, Michael Wolf's representative in the Netherlands, and has a museum quality glass and frame. Total dimensions are 53cm x 43cm x 3.5cm. A Certificate of Authenticity is included, and emails confirming the purchase can also be provided.

Michael Wolf won first prize in the World Press Photo competition in 2005 and 2010, and received an honourable mention in 2011. He was also twice nominated for the Prix Pictet photography award in 2010 and 2016. 2010 and 2016 he was nominated for the Prix Pictet photography award.

In his acclaimed Tokyo Compression series - for which a classic and bestselling book was also produced - Michael spent more than 60 weekday mornings photographing passengers during their commute into Tokyo. All portraits were taken at one train station along the Odakyu line, the platform for which no longer exists. The images were taken during rush hour between 07:30 and 09:00. As Michael described it, "At intervals of 80 seconds, a train already packed to the absolute limit pulled into the station. Even more people pushed their way into the compartments until the commuters were jammed like sardines in a can. Day in day out, millions of commuters must endure this torture, as the only affordable housing is hours away outside of the city center. Is this a humane way to live?"

Tokyo Compression #103 is in my view one of the most beautiful images in the series. Despite being pressed up against the glass, the condensation on the inside of the train visible in the photograph, the mystery woman has closed her eyes, and appears serene and with perhaps the faint outline of a smile despite the crowding on the train.