Kawori Inbe
Imperfect Cats
Published by Akaaka, 2018
Size: 26×21 cm
154 pages
Softcover
Languages: English
ISBN: 978-4-86541-088-4
" Imperfect Cat" is a collection of portraits by Japanese photographer Kawori Inbe. Four years after her critically acclaimed photo book "Time to Go Back... to the Moon," Inbe used her website to find 62 women to portrait.
In her sensitive portraits, Inbe resolutely avoids a perfect, stylized representation of her sitters, but openly accepts flaws and imperfections.
Being photographed is an act of expression, and Inbe believes that many women who have their photographs taken have something to convey. The photographs featured in "Imperfect Cat" are the result of conversations between the subjects and the photographer. During these exchanges, unique expressions and values emerge, highlighting the individual's presence.
In photography, the subject, particularly women, has long been perceived as subordinate to the photographer in terms of creativity. Similarly, photography itself is sometimes relegated to a mere documentary or recordal status, placed lower in the hierarchy of art. Inbe's work challenges these hierarchical norms, opening new avenues for photographic expression beyond the conventional roles of creator and subject, interpreter and recorder.
"Inbe's photographs go beyond the simple relationship between subject and photographer. They are the result of the layering of truth and fiction. She embraces humor and the audacity that arises from open questions and feelings such as anger and grief." - Excerpt from the publisher's description
The book also includes texts from the models (in Japanese), which give more depth to Inbe's portraits.