ABOUT
NATSOUMI / artist – photographer
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances.”
A quote from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
Born into a Zen Buddhist family in Japan in 1980, NATSOUMI is a self-taught photographer. Her passion for creative work began at a young age, although it was only later that she entered the field of photography. While pursuing her studies in English literature and cinema history at Seijo University’s Faculty of Literature and Arts, she took a proactive step by becoming a junior editor of the cutting-edge culture magazine Composite, gaining valuable experience and skills in the creative industry.
She studied the history of visual arts at the Université de Paris. With a profound interest in social issues, she also pursued feminist studies at the University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP). During this time, she had the good fortune to meet several renowned photographers, including Gueorgui Pinkhassov from Magnum Photos. After working in Paris as a correspondent for the design magazine ＋81, her career gradually shifted toward photography. Remarkably, she moved from Paris to Fukushima precisely one year before the nuclear accident. There, she focused on the traditional activities of the local people and the folk culture that was at risk of disappearing, capturing these moments with her camera.
NATSOUMI crafts transformative, inspirational works of visual and literary art. Her visual narratives - showcased in exhibitions in Paris and around the world - break boundaries of borders, languages, and gender, creating a profound, resonant impact.
山田なつみ・NATSOUMI / 美術家・写真家
"この世はすべて舞台であり、男も女もすべて役者にすぎない。
彼らには出口があり、入り口がある。”
ウィリアム・シェイクスピア 「お気に召すまま 」
1980年、山形県生まれ。幼い頃から創作に関心を抱く。しかし若い時分の彼女には、写真の道への入り口に辿り着くまでに時間を要した。成城大学文芸学部で英文学を学ぶ傍ら、在学中に雑誌「Composite」の 編集に携わる。パリ大学で視覚美術史を専攻。社会問題への深い関心を持ち、ロンドン大学パリ校（ULIP）ではフェミニズムを学んだ。デザイン雑誌「+81」のパリ特派員を経て、彼女のキャリアは次第に写真へとレンズを向けた。マグナム・フォトのGueorgui Pinkhassovをはじめ現地写真家と出会う幸運に恵まれた事がきっかけだった。
偶然、原発事故のちょうど1年前にパリから福島へと移住。東北の原風景とその民俗文化に魅せられ、無心でシャッターを切った。
NATSOUMIは、視覚芸術と文学芸術の領域で共鳴する力強い作品を制作している。
それは、視覚的な物語 —— パリをはじめ世界各地で開催される展覧会では、国境や言葉、性別を越え深い共感を呼んでいる。
EXHIBITIONS
展示歴
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 TOKϴYO, Morioka Shoten Ginza（森岡書店銀座店）Tokyo, JAPAN
2021 TOKϴYO, Ricoh Imaging Square Tokyo, JAPAN
2019 In the Middle of Nowhere, café Dao Tao, Miyagi, JAPAN
(official exhibition for the Month of Photography 2019 in Sendai)
2018 TOKϴYO, Okurayama Studio, Miyagi, JAPAN
(official exhibition for the Month of Photography 2018 in Sendai)
2016 TOKϴYO, Galerie Hayasaki, Paris, FRANCE
2012 Les Îles Fortunées, Birdo Space, Shiogama, JAPAN
2012 Les Îles Fortunées, Yutomori Club, Tohgatta-onsen, JAPAN
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Looks Like Abstraction, Galerie Springer Berlin, GERMANY
2021 Incheon International Design Fair, Incheon Songdo ConventiA, KOREA
2017 3331 Art Fair -Various Collectors Prize-, Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, JAPAN
2016 Incheon International Design Fair, Incheon Art Platform, KOREA
2016 A.W.P Selection, Emerging Photographers, RICOH IMAGING Ginza, Tokyo, JAPAN
2015 Incheon International Design Fair, Incheon Art Platform, KOREA
2015 Opposite Sex, Linus Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2013 Invited artist, Incheon International Design Fair, Incheon Culture and Art Centre, KOREA
2013 Shared Lines, Canterbury Museum, NEW ZEALAND
PHOTOBOOK PRESENTATION
2023 TOKϴYO, Bildband Berlin, GERMANY
GRANTS AND AWARDS
助成・受賞
FONDATION FRANCO-JAPONAISE SASAKAWA
NOMURA FOUNDATION
ARTS AID TOHOKU
KAMEI FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL EDUCATION
CONTACT プリントのお問合わせ
Japan: Gallery Birdo Space 《web》
2-3-11 Minatomachi, Shiogama, Miyagi, 985-0016, Japan
Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday
11.00 am - 17.00 pm & by appointment
France: Le Voleur d'images《web》
9, rue de Saint-Simon, 75007 Paris
Tél. +33 (0)1 45 51 07 77
Opening Hours
Thursday to Saturday 2.30-6.30 pm & by appointment
Germany: Galerie Springer Berlin 《web》
Fasanenstraße 13, 10623 Berlin
Tel. +49 30-31 57 22 0
Opening Hours
Tuesday to Friday 12.00 am–6.00 pm
Saturday 12.00 am–3.00 pm
Closed on Sunday & Monday
