Michiko Kon

Born in 1955 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Michiko Kon first studied painting and printmaking at art school. It was only in the 1970s that she turned to photography, creating collages. She then enrolled at the Tokyo Photographic College, where she stayed for two years. In 1985, she presented her first solo exhibition, “Still Life,” at the Shinjuku Nikon Salon in Tokyo. She quickly became recognized as one of Japan’s most innovative photographers, winning the prestigious Kimura Ihee Prize in 1991. The following year, Michiko presented her first exhibition in the United States at the List Visual Center at MIT. She was also included in the exhibition “History of Japanese Photography,” curated by Anne Tucker at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston in 2003. Since 1990, she has exhibited regularly at the Photo Gallery International in Tokyo.

Deeply influenced by surrealism, Michiko Kon transcends the traditional boundaries of the photographic medium. At first glance, her compositions appear to capture everyday objects: a toothbrush placed in a glass, an elegant high-heeled shoe, a haute couture coat, etc. However, a closer look reveals a strangely transformed universe: salmon eggs adorn the bristles of the toothbrush while a goldfish swims quietly in the glass; the shoe is made with salmon skin and flounder fins…

Michiko Kon's works charm with their aesthetic beauty, yet unnerve with their audacity. They leave an unmistakable mark on the memory of those who discover them for the first time.