Koji ONAKA

Born in Fukuoka. Started as a freelance photographer from 1982 in Tokyo. Participated in the image shop "CAMP" in 1982 at Shinjuku, Tokyo. In the period of late '70s to early '80s, many photographers gathered and formed groups and galleries themselves. "CAMP" was one of them which Daido Moriyama was a member until 1981. This period of time is also when the radical chains of subjectivity at shooting and objectivity of the world were tying the photographers' conflicting mind. Onaka, at those days known with 8 x 10 landscape prints, went struggling through the chains himself to get out of it. His sense of colors are full of sentimental and heart warming impressions that were shown in his photographs taken all over Japan and many other foreign countries. His important works are "Seitaka Awadachi-sou no aru machi", "Distance" and "Matatabi". His photo books have been released since 2001 and are very popular. Awarded the The 18th Higasikawa new photographer prize ('02). From 2007, he restarted the gallery "Kaido", regularly has exhibitions and publishes free papers. He continues on to lead one of the cultures of photography.

http://www.onakakoji.com/


1960 　 Born in Fukuoka.
1982 　 Graduated from Tokyo Photograph College　(Tokyo Visual Arts).
　　　　Participated in the gallery (Image Shop CAMP).
1988 　 Opened up the gallery “KAIDO”at Tokyo (It was managed untill 1992.).
2002 　 Participated in the gallery (photographers' gallery) at Tokyo
2007 　 Re opened up the gallery “KAIDO”at Tokyo



<Selected Solo Exhibitions>

2010 "Horse & Cactus 2" Emon photo gallery,Tokyo

2009 "SEITAKA-AWADACHISO/NOGATA" Tanio Musium, Fukuoka

2008 "The Dog in France" Nadar,Osaka

2007 "DRAGONFLY", Chukyo University gallery C ・ Square
2007 "Horse & Cactus- in Mexico" Emon photo gallery,Tokyo

2006 "GARSSHOPPER", ZEIT-FOTO SALON,Tokyo

2005 "Latvia,Spain",Visual Arts gallery,Tokyo
2005 "Le chan de La France",gallery Tosei,Tokyo

2003 "MATATABI", iltempo,Tokyo
2003 "slow boat ＋ ",Visual Arts gallery,Tokyo
2003 "slow boat",photographers' gallery,Tokyo
2003 "MATATABI",ZEIT-FOTO SALON,Tokyo

2002 "Tokyo1984-91/Reaview mirror part",photographers' gallery,Tokyo
2002 "MATATABI no.9",photograpers' gallery, Tokyo
2002 "Reaview mirror part3",photograpers' gallery, Tokyo

2001 "Tokyo Candy Box",PLACE M, Tokyo /Visual Arts,Tokyo/ Shinjuku Nikon
2001 Salon, Tokyo
2001 "Another DISTANCE/ Reaview mirror part1", photograpers' gallery, Tokyo

1999-2000 series "MATATABI",,a total of 8 times, 03FOTOS, Tokyo

1998 "Machikage", Studio EBIS Photo Gallery, Tokyo

1996 "DISTANCE", mole,Tokyo/BERG,Tokyo

1993 "Seitaka Awadachi-sou”, Ginza Nikon Salon, Tokyo
1993 series “DISTANCE”, a total of 3 times, 03FOTOS, Tokyo

1988-91 series "Seitaka Awadachi-sou", a total of 32 times, gallery KAIDO, Tokyo

1983 "Seitaka Awadachi-sou no aru machi",CAMP,Tokyo




<Selected Group Exhibitions>

2010 "Voayages" ,The Japan Foundation, Leira Portugal, Toluca Mexico.
2010 "Daegu Photo Biennale", Culture and Art Center, Daegu Korea.
2010 "Landscape of Ashikaga", Ashikaga Art Museum,Tochigi.

2009 "THE MANILA BOX", Kaida gallery Manila Phillipin
2009 "Voayages", The Japan Foundation ,Paris France /Tokyo Metlopolitan Musium
2009 of photography

2007 "RECENT ACQUISITIONS",Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
2007 "Japan Caught by Camera", Shanghai Musium China

2005 "Takaramono/My precious:Photos and words five contenporary japanese
2005 photographers", Yokohama citizens gallery,Yokohama
2005 "The Photography beyond 20 years from Tsukuba Museum of Photography" 2005 Sendai Mediatheque, Sendai

2002-2003 "BLACK OUT/Contemporary Japanese Photography", The Japan
2002-2003 Foundation,Roma,Paris,Tokyo

2002 "Photonesia/Ryukyu-retuzo", Maejima Art Senter,Okinawa
2002 "The18th Higasikawa Photofiesta", Higashikawa Culture Gallery,Hokkaido

2000 "GAW-2",Okikamuro-jima, Yamaguchi

1999 "TONPU", 051gallery, Pusan-South Korea


<Books>

1991　 "Seitaka Awadachi-sou" Sokyu-sha
1996 　"DISTANCE" Mole
2001　 "Tokyo Candy Box" Wize Shuppan
2001　 "hysteric Five : Onaka Koji" hysteric glamour
2003　 "slow boat" Sokyu-sha
2005　 "in-between Latvia,Spain" EU-Japan fest Japan Committee
2006　 "GRASSHOPPER" Tosei-sha
2007　 "DRAGONFLY" Tosei-sha
2008 　"slow boat second publish" Schaden.com
2008　 "The Dog in France" Sokyu-sha
2008　 "1983 Nogata:Echoes of Coal and Steel" Grafica

<Award>

1992 The 4th Shasin-no-kai prize
2002 The18th Higasikawa new photographer prize
2006 The photographic society of japan new photographer prize