Nakahira Takuma (1938–2015) was a photographer who made a significant mark in both production and theory from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, a turning point in postwar Japanese photography. In the late 1960s, Nakahira challenged existing photographic aesthetics with his are , bure , boke (grainy, blurry, out-of-focus) images, and in the 1970s, he rejected his own previous attempts and explored new directions. His radical and provocative stance questioned the contemporary photographic expression and, consequently, the nature of modern society itself.

In 1977, Nakahira collapsed from acute alcohol poisoning and suffered amnesia, which forced him to suspend his activities. After his recovery, he continued to present his works until the early 2010s, during which time his attempts converged into a photographic practice that continued to capture fragments of the world, outside of existing photographic representation.

This exhibition, the first major retrospective of Nakahira’s work after his death based on works and materials newly discovered in recent years, traces the trajectory of his thoughts and activities on photography, which still raise questions that cannot be overlooked today.