shashasha

In this remarkable photobook, Japanese photographer Sayuri Ichida confronts her own feelings regarding mortality and death, the human body, grief and anxiety. Blending boundaries between the human figure and artificial objects, harshness and softness, presence and absence, Ichida evokes difficult and complex emotional states through her poetic use of lines of varying clarity, formed using different objects, body parts, poses and contrasts. The careful design of the book, with its gatefolds and beautiful silver pages, heightens the impression of “Absentee” as something frail and almost alive, to be handled with care.

“After she lost her mother in her late teens, Ichida shielded herself from thoughts about death. However, 15 years later, the psychological impact of the global pandemic triggered a period of grief and mourning. Creating this series enabled Ichida to overcome emotional difficulties such as uncertainty and anxiety caused by the reminder of death …
We have a tendency to neglect our own mortality. Our attempts to evade death thoughts are inevitably challenged, and we are forced to acknowledge our own fragility. A visceral recognition surfaces at times, reminding us of the transience of life.”
― from the publisher’s description