Our Thursday series features must-read books from each branch of the art bookshop NADiff. This week's recommendation is "Svalbard" by photographer Ishikawa Naoki. It's introduced by the flagship store, NADiff Apartment in Ebisu, Tokyo (1-18-4 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 1F NADiff a/p/a/r/t), which just reopened on December 1st.



■ "Svalbard" by Ishikawa Naoki

Unbeknownst to me, a polar bear is preying on a seal. At the same time, someone is ringing my cell phone, and there's someone busily working there, day and night. On a far northern island, I once again realized that I live in such a world. (Excerpt from "Svalbard")

Photographer Naoki Ishikawa has traveled and adventured around the world, taking photographs and weaving words. His photobook, "Svalbard," features images taken during his tour of Svalbard, an archipelago located northeast of Greenland and far north of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Naoki Ishikawa first visited Svalbard in April 2007, when the bitter cold still lingered. He returned 10 years later in 2017, during the summer months of June and July. A town inhabited by people, where temperatures drop to below -30°C, lies just outside this far northern town, revealing the wilderness and ocean, home to wildlife. This photobook captures the striking colors and atmosphere of winter and summer in the far north: the red and green houses nestled in the valleys of snow-capped rocky mountains, the blue of the sea and sky, and the colors of the wilderness soil and grass.

NADiff a/p/a/r/t will also be hosting a solo exhibition of Ishikawa Naoki from December 1st. The exhibition will feature memos about the records and memories of Ishikawa Naoki's travels to Svalbard, along with photographs and travel tools. During the exhibition, there will also be an event called "Ishikawa Naoki's Tools Flea Market," where some of Ishikawa Naoki's favorite items will be sold at bargain prices in an auction format.