March 29, 2019 is the date on which BREXIT, or the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, is expected to take place. Since the day the decision was made to leave the EU, there has been a lot of controversy and debate, and no one knows what path the UK will take in the future.
The book "EXIT" by photographer Kumi Kim will be published in this context. The book is a collection of photographs taken over 15 years since 2004 of ordinary people and scenes in the United Kingdom, a place that has been in his mind since he was a child.
There is certainly an aspect of Brexit that seeks to reduce immigration and limit diversity. Kinkumi is concerned that this will lead to a loss of tolerance for the multicultural and multiethnic population in the UK, and this is what led to the release of this work.
By staying close to the daily lives of people across borders and genders, this film conclusively shows a Britain that is not a distant place. The distance between the viewer and the subject, regardless of the degree of intimacy, gives the viewer a bird's-eye view. The hope is that the images will inspire the viewer to reflect on his or her own thoughts.
Brexit is not an event in a faraway country. It is not the Butterfly Effect, but the global shift to the right is certainly enveloping Japan as well. This film is an opportunity for us to ponder how we should digest the situation and what we should do about it.
To celebrate the release of this photo book, a photo exhibition "EXIT" will be held at "BOOTLEGGALLERY".
The last word from the artist is posted here.
I was always fascinated by the names of places in England that appeared in books that I repeatedly read with my older sister when I was 4 or 5 years old, and I always wanted to visit there someday. I visited England alone for the first time when I was 20 years old. Ten years later, I moved there for a while, and it was no longer a fantasy for me, but a reality.
I found enjoyment while searching for a house, which I started right after I arrived in the UK.
Take a peek into people's lives as you preview the rooms. Take photos.
And try to live together.
Living together as complete strangers, even across national borders. There are no locks on individual rooms.
Immigrants of various origins, men and women of all genders. Singles, couples, families.... A bit shy and politicized. And warm and non-interfering.
As many as 300,000 immigrants have already left the UK after the 2016 referendum on Brexit.
A German man who changed his British citizenship to protect his family in order to vote to remain. A young black man who says he doesn't care about leaving the EU as long as he has money. A British painter who has been illegally occupying a flat and has made it his own. A pregnant woman who, on the very first day we met, asked me if I would come to take her picture because she was going to have a baby at home. A young single mother who is more worried about her daily life than leaving the EU...
These were taken mainly in London between 2004 and 2018, with trips to Dover and Manchester after the referendum in 2016. We hope you can imagine the stories of these beloved strangers behind each photograph that emerged from his own personal documentary.
The UK is still in chaos before March 29, 2019, and I am concerned that the changes brought about by Brexit are going to weed out immigrants and limit this diversity. I will never forget the scenes I once experienced here in the UK.
Cuba
Text_Ryo Komuta
EXIT"
Author: Kumi Kim
Design: Fumikazu Ohara
Published by Bootleg, Inc.
Printing and binding: Yahkoh Bijutsu Co.
First release date: Friday, March 29
Price: 4,000 yen + tax
Specifications: Hardcover / 96 pages / W220mm x H286mm
EXIT."
Period: March 29 (Friday) - April 14 (Sunday)
Venue: BOOTLEG GALLERY
Address: 1F, 40 Kaiyoro-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Time: 12:00 - 20:00 00( Open throughout the exhibition period )
Admission: Free
www.bootleg.co.jp
3/30( Sat ) Opening and talk event scheduled
Guests: Mr. Kyoichi Tsuzuki at a later date, Ms. Yasuko Furuta scheduled, to be arranged.
Bootleg, Inc.
Phone: 03-5738-8921
edit@bootleg.co.jp
KOOMIKIM Kumi Kim
Born in Kyoto, he joined Magazine House in 1997 and worked as an exclusive photographer for Popeye, Anne & Anne, etc. In 2004, he left the company and moved to England. In 2004, he left the company and moved to England, where he completed a course in Professional Practical Photography at the London College of Communication. Continued to work for magazines and take photographs in Europe. After returning to Japan, he held a solo exhibition "TRANSIENT" at ROCKET in 2008 and published a book of the same title, "LITTLESCENERY" in 2007, "Untitled" in 2009, and "Passing the Sea" in 2011 at the Little Press Fair organized by COWBOOKS. TOKYOPHOTO2014" in 2014. Currently based in Tokyo, he is active in advertising, magazines, and movies, focusing on fashion and portraiture.
koomikim.com
