ANRAKUJI, Emi (Tokyo, 1963)Balloon Position

Cover design by Emi Anrakuji

Firma autografa dell'Autore (Signed by the Author)

Emi Anrakuji's “Balloon Position” is a stream-of-conscious-like unfolding of the artist's conflicted soul. Taken twenty years ago, the soft, sensual black-and-white photos form a visual poem about loneliness and existential confusion. “I cannot explain this photobook in words” – Emi Anrakuji.

Emi Anrakuji was born in Tokyo, Japan.  She studied oil painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. Soon after her graduation, she was diagnosed with a cerebral tumor which caused a severe degradation of her eyesight. The illness forced her to abandon her aspiration to become a professional painter. In the course of a decade-long recovery, one day she discovered that a camera can be a replacement of her eyes then began teaching herself photography at her hospital bed.  Anrakuji's obsession with the human body is a result, in part, from her long periods spent hospitalized. In her art, Anrakuji is an alchemist of images and a catalyst for daydreams and desires.
She is the author of critically acclaimed monographs, including her most iconic work "IPY" and "MISHO" which was selected as one of the finalists under the independent category of Lucie Photo Book Prize in 2018.  Anrakuji's work continues to be exhibited and collected worldwide.