Curator Simon Baker, selects his top five artists from the forthcoming Performing for the Camera at the Tate Modern, which runs from 18 February 2016 — 12 June 2016
Eikoh Hosoe is the last surviving member of a great generation of Japanese photographers and is described, even by his peers, as ‘sensei’ or ‘master’. Although his work now looks classical and formally beautiful, Hosoe was a ground-breaking artist in his youth, collaborating with the most colourful characters of the 1960s avant-garde. He worked with the writer (and bodybuilder) Yukio Mishima, famous in Japan for having committed ritual suicide after failing to overthrow the government, as well as many more conventional actors and dancers. His best known work was made with the dancer and choreographer Tatsumi Hijikata, who founded the Japanese dance movement, Butoh. Published as a luxury photobook, Kamaitachi refers to a mischievous spirit that the Japanese believe cuts your legs when you walk through long grass in the countryside.
