From printed photographs to photobooks, “Pale Red Dot” showcases a diverse range of works by Japanese artists, defying the expectations of aesthetic uniformity originating from the Nipponese island.

Like waves meeting, crushing, merging, and then separating again into new forms and directions, Pale Red Dot explores the common elements that lead to the creation of different voices of Japanese photography today. Inspired by the astronomical image (“Pale Blue Dot”, as named by Carl Sagan) of the Voyager 1 space probe shot in 1990, this exhibition explores the sense of isolation characteristic to the Japanese culture, yet conferring attention to the curious gaze Japan aims towards the outer world.

Not unlike the Voyager 1, we are now looking from a distance at a whole universe far from us, collecting information that reached us.

Artists:
Hiro Tanaka, Mankichi Shinshi, Ryosuke Takamura, Tomoko Daido, Eriko Masaoka, Yusuke Takagi, Miyuki Okuyama, Tsutomu Yamagata, Yoshikatsu Fuji, Kentaro Mori, Masaru Takahashi, Yuki93, Yuu Matsui

+ A selection of Japanese Photobooks from the archive of Athens Photo Festival