1ère édition Limitée à 1 000 exemplaires.
TIBET est la nouvelle édition du premier et depuis longtemps épuisé Photobook Portrait of Tibet de Shinya Arimoto (publié par Visual Arts, 1999), incluant un certain nombre d’œuvres inédites. Connu pour son portrait de photographies de rue « Tokyo Circulation », les premières œuvres de Shinya Arimoto ont en fait été prises au Tibet pendant une période prolongée alors qu’il avait une vingtaine d’années. Il s’est aventuré dans la zone culturelle tibétaine qui comprenait des parties de la Chine, de l’Inde et du Népal et a pris ces œuvres nouvelles et vibrantes en monochrome alors qu’il partageait repas et espace de vie avec les gens qu’il a rencontrés au Tibet ; postface de Shinya Arimoto, photos en n.b.
“In 1994, while still in my early 20’s and fresh out of photo school I went to India to photograph. Six months into my travels the backpack in which I was keeping my exposed film – over 150 rolls – was stolen. This incident ultimately signified a turning point in my understanding about photography which continues to this day. Soon after this I went to Nepal. In Kathmandu, I encountered a Tibetan family who were on a pilgrimage to Dharamsala. My relationship with this family grew as we shared meals and our living space. As the days passed I began to feel a strong desire to see their homeland with my own eyes. Soon after however, my neglected health caught up with me and I was hospitalized with hepatitis. A further examination diagnosed a heart condition and I was forced to return home to Japan.
My condition improved after returning to Japan. Once I had recovered I found work as a day laborer to save money for a trip to Tibet. Reading up on the country and studying the language consumed me as the days passed. One year later, in 1996, I set foot in Tibet. I’ll never forget that thrill. Everything that had happened so far – every coincidence, incident, and tribulation, had brought me to this point.
Looking back I realize that most of my twenties were spent with Tibet. Having started out as an empty vessel, it was Tibet and my experiences there that made me full.” – Shinya Arimoto
