TOXIC by Hideka Tonomura

And it is I who makes the most perfect photographic vector to my own reality

While I am bound by reality yet I will unravel it
There is no point in living for a hundred years

I am made of soul and flesh
I remain in my photographs

Within their ethical framework people are eating

Sometimes photography eats taboo
And love craves it

There are no ethics in love

When love takes over
Photography becomes toxic”

It is my own choice to put my life on the line for photography.
It’s not a path that someone else chose for me. It’s a path that I chose for myself.

My photography is about constantly devoting my body and soul to “I” and “self” between “reality” and “actuality”, assimilating the reality right in front of me, and visualising the reality and actuality that cannot be seen.

I believe in the philosophy of reality and actuality.

It is my greatest wish that my philosophy will be able to touch the hearts of the people and accompany them in this world today and in the future.

I am putting my life into how deep I can dive with my photography.

It is the artist’s job to pursue the ideal.

In dark, lust-filled, inquisitive photographs, Japanese artist Hideka Tonomura examines the question of love and its taboos and absurdities. Similar to previous photobooks by Tonomura on the topic of love, such as “mama love” and “die of love,” the photographs themselves become seemingly form part of the pictures. Tonomura’s exploration of love is tied to the medium in which she operates, with subjects posing and sometimes gazing straight at the camera, and though not strictly self-portraiture, with “Toxic” Tonomura also appears to explore her own self within the photographs.

-Book Size 210 × 148 mm-Pages 88 pages, 41 images- Binding Softcover-Publication Year 2022-Language English, Japanese-Limited Edition 850