For more than sixty years, Daido Moriyama (森山 大道 b. 1938) has used his camera to interrogate and revolutionise the way we look at the world with his dense, grainy images. Even today, Moriyama’s pioneering artistic spirit and visual intensity remain groundbreaking. 

The exhibition traces the path of a photographer who transformed the way we see photography and questioned the very nature of photography itself.

The retrospective focuses on different moments of Moriyama’s vast and productive career -  beginning with his early works for Japanese magazines, interest in the American occupation, and engagement with photorealism. The show then moves through to his work from the self-reflexive period in the 1980s and 1990s, following on to his explorations of the essence of photography and of his own self, reflecting on reality, memory and cities through tireless documentation and the reinvention of his own archive. 

Fittingly, Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective, brings together more than 200 works and large-scale installations, as well as many of Moriyama’s rare photobooks and magazines, for the first time in the UK. One floor of the gallery has been transformed into a reading room - a dedicated space offering a rare opportunity to spend time with his legendary publications.

Immerse yourself in Moriyama’s world at The Photographers’ Gallery, showing until 11 February 2024. Tickets available now. 

For more information visit The Photographers' Gallery