ITALY 1985-1990

Top Japanese photographer on the iPhone!
Naomi Kawakami has an outstanding reputation in Japan. Now you can enjoy his black-and-white Rolleiflex photos optimized for the iPhone 3G/3GS and second/third generation iPod touch, offering quality similar to that of an original print. For best results, view at the default brightness setting.


■ITALY 1985-1990

56 photos, most shared for the first time on this occasion. Great simply to look at and enjoy, these images also pose interesting questions for every viewer. What does a gifted Japanese photographer see in the faces of the people he meets in Italy? How is the presence of a Japanese photographer reflected in their expressions? Why does he choose these moments, these people? What do these photos tell us about the Japanese way of seeing Italy, and what Western traditions of photography are evident in the artists approach? Look below the surface, and youll find yourself checking the collection again and again.

Also available at the App Store: FLANDRE 1996-1997 (29 photos; paid app).


■Naomi Kawakami

Born Tokyo, 1955. BA, Photography, Nihon University. Studied under the pioneering news photographer Jun Miki. Kawakami is now one of Japans top commercial portrait artists, the photographer of such cultural icons as Quentin Tarantino, John Lurie, Jim Jarmusch, Bryan Ferry, Charlie Watts, Philip Glass, David Bowie, Van Dyke Parks, Serge Gainsbourg, Michael Nyman, Julee Cruise, Sylvie Vartan and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The list goes on: outstanding artists such as Lee U-Fan, Yayoi Kusama and Nam June Paik; great Japanese musicians such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Midori and Ryu Goto. Ballet dancers, actors, manga artists, even former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. Kawakami has produced portraits of them all -- more than 300 celebrities altogether. Once when photographing a renowned Japanese psychiatrist he was told: "You take photos the way a psychoanalyst counsels."


■Message from the photographer

I always loved Italian cinema: Bertolucci, Fellini, Visconti, Ettore Scola.... And I promised myself that one day Id actually go and see those scenes from the silver screen. The first time I went to Rome I was just another foreigner caught in a tourist trap, but the sounds of Italian were captivating. As soon as I got back to Japan I started taking Italian lessons, then I travelled to Italy again and again. Id rent a car and head off to Tuscany, and thats where I started getting into taking photos in Italy. The people I met were fascinating, each one a strikingly different character in an intriguing drama. Wed chat, wed eat, and gradually Id feel myself blending into Italian life. Unrepeatable moments. This is the story of that journey. To one and all: Grazie!


■Original prints

Original prints made under the artists supervision are available for all the photos in these special iPhone / iPod touch collections. Dont hesitate to contact us about purchasing any image to enjoy its full impact. For details, please see the information that comes with the application.