Photographer Mizutani Taro's photo book "Lethe Taro Mizutani" was published on September 6th. To commemorate the publication, BOOKMARC, a bookstore run by MARC JACOBS, will be holding a photo exhibition titled "Lethe Taro Mizutani" from September 7th to 16th.


This photo book is the latest in his personal work, shot during Mizutani's visit to Oregon, USA in 2019 to shoot a movie for "THE NORTH FACE x HYKE," a capsule collection between THE NORTH FACE and HYKE. A severe cold wave hit Central Oregon, where snow normally doesn't fall even in winter and the land remains barren year-round. The normally beige landscape was transformed into a world of pure white snow and gray skies. This work is a vast record of the landscapes unconsciously seen from the passenger seat of a car as the scenery changed from city to suburbs, then through the mountains, and finally back to the plains. Rather than landscapes of the artist's own choosing, these photographs interweave randomly captured landscapes. The title of this work, "Lethe," refers to the "river of memory" in Greek mythology and "forgetfulness" in ancient Greek. The artist Mahito the People wrote a preface based on the photographs. "It's not a moment I want to preserve, nor is it a moment I have to preserve. However, it's a memory that will be lost if it's not recorded," he says. As these words indicate, this work, which records fleeting moments and events in nature, depicts casual scenes from a car window that everyone has remembered, but it also harbors Mizutani's own current thoughts and perspectives on photography. The book is available at Bookmark, Isetan Shinjuku, bookstores that carry art books, and other locations.

To commemorate the publication, a photo exhibition will be held at Bookmark in Harajuku from September 7th to 16th, displaying approximately 60 framed prints. Works will also be available for purchase.