A Long Journey

“Without being aware of it, I have planted such delicate nuances of a woman’s heart and sown seeds of such sentiments into my works. The folds of a woman’s heart were visualized by my works of collage, so incongruous that make one want to quietly sneak a peek into.” —- Toshiko Okanouen n”Toshiko Okanoue’s works and depictions do not only belong to herself, but also to all women who live in the same state.” —- Ryuichi Kaneko, Photo Historiann nIt was in the beginning of 1950s when Okanoue started working on her photo collages. Short in goods and materials during the reconstruction phase of postwar Japan, culture from foreign countries poured in. Okanoue, who was in her 20s, couldn’t help but to feel attracted and fascinated to these fresh new things. At the same time, under the encouragement of the freedom after war, women including Okanoue were liberated and entered an age when they can wear the colors and forms they prefer. These collages were created in such social context and it took half a century for Okanoue’s works to come under the spotlight of attention.nOn this special occasion, amanasalto is releasing 6 collages carefully selected by Okanoue herself from over 100 pieces of works, previously treasured at her home. The delicate details and subtle tone difference in the original collages are precisely portrayed by and breathed new life by the platinum and palladium prints that have high resolution and rich tonality.