Okanoue Toshiko

Toshiko Okanoue (b. 1928) is known for her photomontage work. While studying fashion design at Bunka Gakuen University in Tokyo, Okanoue's interest in the technique of photomontage was sparked by an assignment involving collage work with torn images. She cut out images from Western magazines such as Vogue and Life (imported for U.S. forces stationed in Japan) and arranged them into surreal, dreamlike scenes. In 1953, she held her first solo exhibition after her work was discovered by Shuzo Takiguchi, one of the pioneers of surrealism in Japan. In 1957, however, she married and decided to take a break from art to focus on raising her children.
In 2000, photography historian Ryuichi Kaneko curated a solo exhibition of her work, which led to renewed interest and critical recognition as one of the leading artists of postwar Japan.

*This text was contributed by Mitsuhiro Wakayama.
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