21_21 DESIGN SIGHT's special exhibition "Photo City - William Klein and Photographers Living in the 22nd Century" is being held from February 23rd to June 10th at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 1 & 2 in Roppongi, Tokyo. A press preview was held on the 22nd, the day before, to reveal the contents.

William Klein has influenced modern visual culture with his transcending genres of photography, video, design, and fashion, and his works capturing cities around the world such as New York, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo, and Paris. This exhibition showcases the urban vision of William Klein, one of the 20th century's leading photographers, as well as photographers from Japan and Asia. This exhibition presents the transformation of urban vision from the 20th to the 21st century through unprecedentedly dynamic photographic displays.

The first underground lobby you encounter upon entering the venue brings together a wide variety of Klein's images, including photographs, films, graphics, contact prints, photo books, and large-scale photographs, as well as the cameras he used. This serves as an introduction to the exhibition, condensing Klein's work across genres.



Next, Gallery 1 will feature "William Klein + TAKCOM, 2018," a collaboration between Klein and TAKCOM. The entire space of Gallery 1 is used for a 10-minute multi-projection by video artist TAKCOM, combining over 200 of Klein's past photographs, typography, abstract art, and film stills, to create a kaleidoscope-like, flying carpet-like representation of each city captured by Klein. Also, Gallery 2 will host "Chapter 2: Photographers Living in the 22nd Century," showcasing works by Yasuda Sachitane, Tawada Yuki, Shen Zhaoliang, Nishino Sohei, Katsumata Kimihiko, Sudo Ayano, Ishikawa Naoki + Morinaga Yasuhiro, Mizushima Takahiro, and Park Mina, as well as an outdoor installation by Fujiwara Satoshi. By showcasing the work of new photographers alongside Klein, who has been a major inspiration for photography and video, visitors can experience a new world of photography.



Klein himself attended the Q&A session held on the 22nd. Visiting Japan for the first time since 1961, Klein said, "I walked down the main street of Roppongi, and Tokyo looked like a giant toy or game. I wanted to photograph that image."

Exhibition director Shunji Ito also commented, "I hope visitors will feel the relationship between photography and the city, as well as the possibilities of photography."