In 1989, at the age of 19, Hanayo Nakajima became a Hang-yoku (younger geisha), and began to take pictures using her father’s old camera. Her vivid and fresh images became a forerunner of »girly photography« in Japan. She moved to Berlin in 1999 where she worked with the film director Christoph Schlingensief. Hanayo has collaborated with international musicians, her single Joe le taxi has been featured on many music compilations.
Hanayo has published several books including Hanayome, Magma, and Berlin. She is based in Berlin und Tokio.
Hanayo with Commercial Breakup by Smoczek Policzek – Banzai Neoteny from the album Gift. © 2000 Digital Hardcore Recordings Ltd.
In 2002, she held a solo exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, organised by director Jerome Sans. At the centre of the venue was a long hanamichi and a canopied sofa titled Hana chambre, where Hanayo performed in a kimono and footage capturing the situation was shown. In this way, the show sought not only to exhibit her photographs, but to also utilise the entire space as a means by which to convey the personality of Hanayo.
At times, I often wonder if there has ever been a photographer such as Hanayo, whose life and work are so freely intertwined that I often find myself forgetting that she is a photographer.
Ito Takahiro, Curator, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
Book Specs: Hardcover // 16 x 23 cm // 304 pages // 306 color and b/w illustrations // English and Japanese // ISBN 978-3-96900-016-8 // Editor: Nao Amino // Texts: Kai Althoff, Takahiro Ito // Design: Minami Shimakage. Available here.
Résumé: A photographic stream of consciousness. Highly recommended.