Long a darling of the Japanese photography scene, Mika Ninagawa's latest exhibition, "Liquid Dreams," brings a riot of color to the Parco Museum in Shibuya. Ninagawa has always been fond of bright and bold hues. What is most surprising about her new work is her choice of subject matter. Although she has enjoyed great success with pictures of people and flowers in the past, this time around Ninagawa has turned her attention to, of all things, goldfish.
"One day, while looking though a tourist guide book," explains the friendly Ninagawa at her well-attended opening party, "I read that there was a so-called 'Goldfish Street' in Hong Kong. I was curious, and I thought maybe goldfish would be interesting to photograph, so soon afterward I visited Hong Kong, went to the street and I took lots of pictures.
"Later, when I did more research into goldfish, I realized that they had been bred to look a certain way just to be attractive to people. Some didn't even have fins in the proper or practical location. It was at this point that I realized that their artificiality suited my work perfectly, and started this project."