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Toshiya Watanabe
Profile
Born in Fukushima Prefecture in 1966. While a student at Tama Art University, he was selected for “20 Promising Young Photographers”, an exhibition organized by PARCO.
His series documenting his hometown of Namie, Fukushima—designated a no-entry zone following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident—was widely featured in international media, including Le Monde (France) and THE BIG ISSUE (Taiwan), receiving significant attention.
In 2016, he received the STEIDL BOOK AWARD JAPAN along with seven other photographers, and in 2019 won the Hariban Award Special Jury Prize (selected by Martijn van Pieterson & Annemarie Zethof). His solo exhibitions include 18 months and THROUGH THE FROZEN WINDOW (both at POETIC SCAPE).
His first photobook, Somewhere not Here, was published in 2021, followed by Beyond what you see in 2024, co-published by the (M)éditions (France) and IBASHO (Belgium).
His series documenting his hometown of Namie, Fukushima—designated a no-entry zone following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident—was widely featured in international media, including Le Monde (France) and THE BIG ISSUE (Taiwan), receiving significant attention.
In 2016, he received the STEIDL BOOK AWARD JAPAN along with seven other photographers, and in 2019 won the Hariban Award Special Jury Prize (selected by Martijn van Pieterson & Annemarie Zethof). His solo exhibitions include 18 months and THROUGH THE FROZEN WINDOW (both at POETIC SCAPE).
His first photobook, Somewhere not Here, was published in 2021, followed by Beyond what you see in 2024, co-published by the (M)éditions (France) and IBASHO (Belgium).
