The photo exhibition "Ryan McGinley BODY LOUD!" is currently running at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery from April 16th. FASHION HEADLINE had the opportunity to interview Ryan McGinley exclusively during his visit to Japan.

The exhibition features works selected by Ryan himself from among his works released between 2002 and 2015. "Ryan McGinley BODY LOUD!", which features approximately 50 works, is Ryan's first solo exhibition at a Japanese art museum.

Ryan McGinley (hereafter referred to as McGinley), who visited Japan for this exhibition, kindly set aside a few moments for an interview with FASHION HEADLINE before attending "Ryan's Photo Booth," an event where visitors could take ID photos with him at the IMA Concept Store (Roppongi). Despite the interview taking place over lunch, Ryan appeared cheerfully and began the interview by saying, "Let's get start it."

--I heard that you personally selected the photographs for your photo exhibition "Ryan McGinley BODY LOUD!", which opened on April 16th at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. How did you select and organize the photographs from the many works you had?

McGinley: For this exhibition, I wanted to represent the past 15 years of my photography career. The works in the exhibition include photos from when I first started taking photographs in New York's East Village, as well as photos from Morrissey concerts I took around the world. I also included photos from my "Road Trip" trips I've taken over the last 10 years traveling around the US with friends, and a series I selected from other music festivals. There are also photos from my recent "Fall/Winter" series from last year. Meanwhile, studio photographs such as "Animals," featuring nude models with small animals, and "YEARBOOK," a series of nude photographs, will also be on display.



--The title is "BODY LOUD!" What message does it convey?

McGinley: The title BODY LOUD embodies the message "New Body." Like the loudness of rap music, I wanted to boldly express each individual's individuality by singing loudly. I wanted to express the bold, rich colors through my photographs. By the way, can I ask you about your impressions of the exhibition?

--The "Fall/Winter" series was particularly impressive. Standing before the nude photographs in front of red autumn trees and blue winter icebergs, I was reminded of how nature never defies laws and never lies. On the other hand, humans often lie. The resonance between these opposing forces—the red trees, the blue ice, and the naked people standing in front of them—made the images seem overflowing with life. There was a sense of liveliness, like they were rushing towards me.

McGinley: I see. Wherever we go to shoot, we spend a long time researching the most beautiful locations. We meticulously research the colors and landscapes. Also, the color palette for our photographs changes with the seasons. In winter, the scenery we see is limited to a limited range of colors: gray, blue, and white, while in autumn, colors like red, yellow, and orange spread out. When I take a photograph, I try to think like a painter. I always aim to create photographs that will make people feel comfortable when they see them, and that are realistic and essential, like a documentary. To that end, when I take a photograph, I try to find the moment when the subject looks most real.



--Your photography style involves taking a large number of photos and then selecting the best one from them. How do you choose that best one?

McGinley: Selecting the best photo is the same as striving for realism and authenticity. Often, you don't have a lot of time to take photos, so you have to shoot quickly. Especially when you're photographing nudes, you have to constantly be thinking about things like whether the police are coming or if people are crossing the street, so it's important to shoot quickly. That's why I take plenty of time to choose the best photo.

--Specifically, how do you select your photos?

McGinley: I often take photos surrounded by many people, but I edit the photos myself. So, first I spend about 20 minutes narrowing down the thousands of photos I have to choose from to a few hundred. I can do all of this on my computer. Then I print those hundreds onto mount paper using Xerox, and then I narrow it down further to about 20 and hang them on the wall. I keep those 20 photos on the wall, sometimes for about two weeks, and whittle them down a few each day. I line them up in front of me, carefully compare and consider them, and choose the best one. I take lots of photos in any situation, but I only show one as my work. That's the best one.

--When you look at the world through your viewfinder, what kind of world are you trying to depict? What are you thinking and imagining as you press the shutter?

McGinley: First, when I look through the viewfinder, I try to keep my eyes slightly open. This makes the world beyond the viewfinder appear hazy and blurry. I try to see the shapes that unfold there. When I'm deciding on a subject, I keep my eyes slightly open, look through the viewfinder, and have the model move their body within the viewfinder, trying to find the balance while I'm taking the photo. Rather than thinking about it in my head, I imagine it as a case of actually moving and finding the balance within that.

--So, when do you think about the story behind your work?

McGinley: I try not to reveal too much about my work. I hope that people who view my photographs, and people who visit the museum, will each imagine their own story. I believe that I convey the bare essentials for this through the scenes and people captured in my photographs. So I'd be happy if everyone who sees my photographs could imagine their own story.

--Could you tell us about the work you're currently working on and your future plans?

Right now, I'm doing a lot of fashion shoots for publications like WU magazine and i-D, and I'm having a lot of fun. I'm also preparing for an exhibition in Denver, Colorado next fall, which will focus on my early work shot in the East Village. Another project I'm currently working on is photographing the streets of New York at night. From 10 PM to 6 AM, naked girls are running around the city.

--I heard you're creating a collaboration item with Isetan for New York Week, which will be held at the Isetan Shinjuku store from May 25th. What do you value when directing fashion items like this?

McGinley: First of all, I think it's important which photos I choose for a collaboration. I believe that having my photos exist as fashion is an opportunity for them to appeal to a wider audience when worn by someone.

--Actually, I heard you went to Isetan yesterday as well.

McGinley: That's right. Whenever I come to Japan, I always end up buying something at Isetan. Isetan supports designers and artists, right? You can see a wide variety of brands, so it's like a fashion library. Plus, you can buy clothes by Japanese designers like COMME des GARÇONS and N. HOOLYWOOD cheaper than in the US (laughs). That's why I like Isetan.

--What kind of fashion do you like?

McGinley: I like styling high and low fashion together. For example, today's fashion is like this leather biker jacket costs $1,000, but the T-shirt underneath is only $1. High and low is my favorite style.

※Morrissey: Legendary British rock band. McGinley is a huge Morrissey fan and accompanied him on tour between 2004 and 2006, filming over 100 live shows.

Shigematsu Yuka