On the occasion of Tate Modern's William Klein + Daido Moriyama exhibition, curator Simon Baker talks to the Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama about his life and work.
Daido Moriyama (born 1938), is one of the most important living photographers and photobook makers. His career began in Tokyo in the 1960s, where he formed part of the influential Provoke group, which published some of the most innovative avant-garde photography made in post-war Japan.
In a career spanning nearly fifty years, Moriyama is best known for his wild, blurred, grainy style of black and white photography, capturing urban experience on the streets of Tokyo and New York. However, there are many sides to his practice and he also works with colour, polaroid, silkscreen and installation, all of which are included in the exhibition at Tate Modern this autumn. Moriyama is perhaps most celebrated for his photobooks, which he has published consistently, and which include masterpieces like Japan: A Photo Theatre (1968), Farewell Photography (1972), Light and Shadow (1982) and Shinjuku (2002).
