Emi Anrakuji (born 1963), Untitled 8, early 2000s, archival pigment print on a vintage postcard
(circa 1900s), 3 1/2 x 5 3/8 in (8.9 x 13.8 cm) (image), @Emi Anrakuji

Emi Anrakuji: Ehagaki–Picture Postcard, MIYAKO YOSHINAGA
Through June 30

Emi Anrakuji is known for taking obscured and often close-up images of herself (all but her eyes) in mundane surroundings with evocative atmospheres. This exhibition features over 30 color-pigment self-portraits that Anrakuji meticulously printed on vintage postcards (in Japanese, ehagaki – picture postcard) collected by her grandfather at the turn of the last century. The grandfather, a wine importer in Tokyo, frequently traveled to Europe and brought back these postcards, a popular novelty among collectors especially from the 1890s to the 1910s. According to Anrakuji’s family lore, a box of the well-preserved old postcards miraculously survived the 1923 earthquake and the WWII air raids in 1945. On both occasions, the fire burned down the city of Tokyo almost entirely, including her grandfather’s shop. Therefore, these postcards became a family treasure passed down through the generations.

Be sure to read Loring Knoblauch's in-depth review of this exhibition in Collector Daily online, click here.

Read more about the exhibition, click here.