The Ueda-style photography that fascinated Chen Qizhen and Fukuyama Masaharu – A retrospective exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of Ueda Shoji’s passing

Text by Jingdianjia, compiled and reported

On January 18, 2020, Taiwan was finally able to see the precious original works of Ueda Shoji. Each Modern, a gallery that has collaborated with the Ueda Shoji Office for many years, invited the Ueda Shoji Office to co-plan the “Retrospective Exhibition Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Ueda Shoji’s Passing,” which arrived at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei in the spring of 2020.

The year 2020 marks 20 years since Ueda Shoji’s passing. For a long time, art lovers in Taiwan, Asia, and even around the world have not forgotten Ueda Shoji: international publications and exhibitions have continued; the large sand dune billboard in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Japan, and the Ueda Shoji Museum of Art in Tottori Prefecture are all popular check-in spots; his photographic life continues to be shared and discussed online.

The “Retrospective Exhibition Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Ueda Shoji’s Passing” is the only exhibition in 20 years planned by the Ueda Shoji Office using treasured works from the family collection. The curator is Ms. Satō Masako, the go-to curator for Western photography masters such as Robert Doisneau and Saul Leiter. Featuring 140 works across 11 series, an 8-meter creative film, and important photography collections, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The retrospective not only reveals the master photographer’s love and pursuit of photography but also, through the curatorial texts by Ms. Satō Masako, clearly illustrates the rise and fall of Japanese photographic movements from pre-war to post-war: Ueda Shoji’s life is a microcosm of the history of Japanese photography.

In 2020, all photography enthusiasts can immerse themselves together in the elegant “Ueda-style” and revisit the master’s various facets—surrealism, warmth, avant-garde, fashion, and everyday life.