Akira Kobayashi - WANT - 1970

WANT

Akira Kobayashi
Gendai Shinsha/1970/Japanese/385*258*5

Photographer Akira Kobayashi's photobook ‘Desire / WANT’. Born in 1927 in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, he studied under Kira Sugiyama—renowned for pioneering nude photography—while enrolled in the prestigious Photography Department of Nihon University's College of Art. After graduating, he worked in the photography department of a film publishing company before going freelance in his thirties. This book, ‘Desire / WANT’, is the first collection he published after turning forty. For over twenty years since picking up a camera, he had primarily photographed women, many of whom he hadn't necessarily wanted to photograph. This volume was released after careful preparation, driven by his desire to create works he produced himself, rather than passive commissions. A confident work where he handled everything from model selection to composition and lighting. The theme is “Infinite Love.” He deliberately paired white women with black men to emphasize the monochrome tones. Organically employing techniques like blur and multiple exposures, the result is an elegant and creative nude series.