shashasha

Rather than the energy and vibrancy symbolized by flowers in bloom, Japanese photographer Kazunali Tajima feels a fascination for flowers as they wilt and wither. Shot against a white background in a studio setting, the images in his photobook “Withered Flowers” capture the manifold beauty of flowers in decay—their changing colors, the deformation of their shapes, the loss of freshness and life.

“Withered flowers are beautiful. But why is it that they look so beautiful to us? This has to be related to the fact that we sense in them some kind of mutability. Flowers demonstrate in a beautiful way the factual reality of life and death. Why are flowers beautiful in the first place? According to a certain scientist, it is because they want to entertain insects and humans with their prettiness. I believe that is true.” — from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s afterword

All texts included in Japanese and English translation.