Masako Toda - Hisae Imai

Hisae Imai (1931-2009) was an unconventional photographer. Her first solo exhibition in 1956 drew tremendous attention, after which she continued to pursue her artistic instincts while also taking on fashion and commercial projects. Female photographers were a rarity in Japan at the time, so in 1957 she established an association for women photographers. Often staging her shots to create photographs that were rooted in illusion and poetry, she also went against norms and was able to position herself as a commercially successful photographer, setting her apart from the establishment in Japan. In this book, Masako Toda invites us to re-encounter her life, work, and legacy.