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Ryūji Miyamoto

author · photographer

Japanese b. 1947, Tokyo, Japan[1]

Ryūji Miyamoto is a Japanese photographer renowned for his extensive documentation of urban decay, demolished buildings, and the transformation of industrial landscapes in post-war Japan. After studying graphic design at Tama Art University, Miyamoto began his career in architectural journalism, where he developed a unique visual language for capturing 'temporary ruins' (_tsukanoma no haikyo_). His seminal work, Architectural Apocalypse (1988), explores the material decomposition of early-twentieth-century structures and the violent logic of urban renewal. Miyamoto's work often balances the aesthetics of destruction with an exploration of human habitation, as seen in his projects on the Kowloon Walled City and the 'handmade architecture' of cardboard houses. He has received numerous accolades, including the Kimura Ihei Award and the Leone d'oro at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, and his photography is held in major collections worldwide, including the Smithsonian and the Pompidou Center.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51]

  • urban decay
  • ruins
  • architectural demolition
  • handmade architecture
  • post-war reconstruction

Books

  1. Ryūji Miyamoto 建築の黙示録 (Architectural Apocalypse) 2830
    建築の黙示録 (Architectural Apocalypse)
    Ryūji Miyamoto
    €269.00

Works by Ryūji Miyamoto

  • 1988 Architectural Apocalypse Heibonsha Ltd. · book · Japanese · ISBN 9784582544114 Original publication documenting the demolition of historic buildings in Tokyo.
  • 1988 Kowloon Walled City Atelier Peyotl · book · English Documentation of the notorious slum before its demolition.
  • 2003 Cardboard Houses BEARLIN · book · English Survey of informal dwellings across Japan and the world.
  • 2006 KOBE 1995 After The Earthquake BEARLIN · book · English Documentation of the disaster site and reconstruction.
  • 2012 3.11 TSUNAMI 2011 film · Japanese Co-authored documentary film with three survivors of the Tōhoku earthquake.

Exhibitions

  • 2004 Ryuji Miyamoto Retrospective Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo · solo
  • 1996 Fractures Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice · group
  • 2017 Japan-ness Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz · group
  • 2007 The Sense of Collapse National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo · group
  • 1998 Invisible Cities Hong Kong Arts Center, Hong Kong · solo

Awards

  • 1989 Kimura Ihei Memorial Photography Award
  • 1996 Leone d'oro for the Best National Pavilion Venice Biennale Venice Biennale of Architecture
  • 2005 The Minister of Education's 55th Art Encouragement Prize
  • 2012 Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon (Shiju Hosho)

References

  1. Kenchiku bunka. 2000
  2. Taka Ishii Gallery link
  3. Cushman, Carrie. Temporary Ruins: Miyamoto Ryūji's Architectural Photography in Postmodern Japan. Columbia University. 2018 link
  4. Miyamoto, Ryūji. Setting sun : writings by Japanese photographers. Aperture. 2006
  5. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  6. Miyamoto, Ryūji. Setting sun : writings by Japanese photographers. Aperture. 2006
  7. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  8. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  9. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  10. Hladik, Murielle. Traces(s) du paysage. Monuments et "lieux de mémoire" au Japon. Sociétés & Représentations. 2006 link
  11. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  12. Tomii, Reiko. The Impossibility of Anti: A Theoretical Consideration of Bikyōtō. Anti-Museum. Fri Art and Cologne: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther. 2016
  13. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  14. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  15. Hayashi, Michio. An Eye Open to Traces of Light: Thoughts on Ryūji Miyamoto. Miyamoto Ryūji shashinten: Kowareyuku mono umareizuru mono. Setagaya Bijutsukan. 2004
  16. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  17. Hladik, Murielle. Trace(s) du paysage. Monuments et "lieux de mémoire" au Japon. Sociétés & Représentations. 2006 link
  18. Miyamoto, Ryūji. Shin kenchiku no mokushiroku. Heibonsha. 2003
  19. Hasegawa, Yuko. Pleasure in Nothingness: Japanese Photography, 1980s to the present. Liquid crystal futures : contemporary Japanese photography. Fruitmarket Gallery. 1994
  20. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  21. Hayashi, Michio. An Eye Open to Traces of Light: Thoughts on Ryūji Miyamoto. Miyamoto Ryūji shashinten: Kowareyuku mono umareizuru mono. Setagaya Bijutsukan. 2004
  22. Cushman, Carrie. 2006
  23. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  24. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  25. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  26. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  27. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  28. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  29. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  30. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  31. Miyamoto, Ryūji. Cardboard houses. Kōbe-shi. 2003
  32. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  33. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  34. Sakai Tadayasu. On the Ryūji Miyamoto Retrospective. Miyamoto Ryūji shashinten: Kowareyuku mono umareizuru mono. Setagaya Bijutsukan. 2004
  35. Hayashi, Yōji. Miyamoto Ryūji Yokohama Pōtosaido Gyararii. Bijutsu techo. 1994
  36. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  37. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  38. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  39. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  40. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  41. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  42. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  43. Ryūji Miyamoto and Yasuo Kobayashi. Shashinteki shisō: Gūzen ni ningen ni haitta shashin. Sōzōshatachi: Gendai geijutsu no genba. Kōdansha. 1997
  44. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  45. Akihito Hachikado. Shinsai ato no Kobe no machi de shashinka ga miidashita mono. déjà-vu bis. 1996
  46. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  47. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  48. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  49. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  50. Cushman, Carrie. 2018
  51. Cushman, Carrie. 2018