Rinko Kawauchi, considered one of the most important Japanese photographers working today, has been awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize, as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023.
The award recognises one person or a group of people every year who have made a significant impact on the world of photography.
Kawauchi is its 16th recipient, joining the ranks with the likes of Martin Parr (2017), Candida Hofer (2018), Nadav Kander (2019), Gerhard Steidl (2020), Graciela Iturbide (2021) and Edward Burtynsky (2022).
Kawauchi's works are ephemeral as she captures snippets of everyday life with a unique luminosity and sense of poetry. She's influenced by the Japanese religion of Shinto in which adherents believe everything has a spirit or energy called "kami". This is captured through Kawauchi's lens via shimmering lights reflected in a mirror or sunbeams trickling through a forest canopy, for example.
Her photography has been compared to haikus, the short-form poetry style that originated in Japan, as it reflects on life's bigger picture in short bursts and, in Kawauchi's case, through spare, visual language that lends a single, seemingly small moment weight.
More than 20 of the photographer's works will be shown at the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition, on display at Somerset House in London from April 14 to May 1.
The selection of images spans Kawauchi's 20-year career and highlights various milestones and themes across some of her most notable series, including Illuminance (2011), AILA (2004), Utatane (2001) and Ametsuchi (2013), a series that showcases a different technique and style from the artist as she shifts her focus from the micro to the macro.
"This award is a recognition of my work and will encourage me in my future activities," Kawauchi said.
"The exhibition brings a body of work that not only characterises my practice, but also presents an ambitious series created with a different method and approach. Through my photography, I seek to create works of art that act as a signpost for me to examine more closely the experiences I am living and what I am looking at."
Winners in the Student, Open and Professional competitions of next year's Sony World Photography Awards will be announced on April 13.
More information is available at www.worldphoto.org
Striking photo of a flamingo taking off from a UAE mangrove wins international award — in pictures
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Winner, Mangroves & Wildlife, Jayakumar MN, UAE. Photo: Jayakumar MN / Mangrove Photography Awards -
This year's overall winner of the Mangrove Photography Awards is Tanya Houppermans, for her photo shot in Cuba. Photo: Tanya Houppermans / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Humans, Muhammad Mostafigur Rahman, Bangladesh, Photo: Muhammad Mostafigur Rahman / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Landscape, Loic Dupuis, Indonesia. Photo: Loic Dupuis / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Underwater, Martin Broen, Mexico. Photo: Martin Broen / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Conservation, Kei Miyamoto, Indonesia. Photo: Kei Miyamoto / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year, Fakhrizal Setiawan, Indonesia. Photo: Fakhrizal Setiawan / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Stories, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Stories, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Stories, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Stories, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Stories, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Winner, Mangroves & Stories, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Runner Up, Mangroves & Humans, Alex Cao, Vietnam. Photo: Alex Cao / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Humans, Rajesh Dhar, India. Photo: Rajesh Dhar / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Humans, Hoang The Nhiem, Vietnam. Photo: Hoang The Nhiem / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Humans, Yusuf Bin Madi, Malaysia. Photo: Yusuf Bin Madi / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Humans, Rodrigo Silva Campanario, Brazil. Photo: Rodrigo Silva Campanario / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Humans, Janos Leo G. Andanar, Philippines. Photo: Janos Leo G. Andanar / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Humans, Sankhadeep Banerjee, India. Photo: Sankhadeep Banerjee / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Runner Up, Mangroves & Landscape, Melodi Roberts, USA. Photo: Melodi Roberts / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Landscape, Amar Habeeb, UAE. Photo: Amar Habeeb / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Landscape, Jahid Apu, Bangladesh. Photo: Jahid Apu / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Landscape, Humberto Bahena Basave, Mexico. Photo: Humberto Bahena Basave / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Landscape, Shyjith Kannur, UAE. Photo: Shyjith Kannur / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Landscape, Mohamed Muha, Maldives. Photo: Mohamed Muha / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Landscape, Alex Cao, Vietnam. Photo: Alex Cao / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Runner Up, Mangroves & Wildlife, Priscila Forone, Brazil. Photo: Priscila Forone / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Wildlife, Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar, Mexico. Photo: Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Wildlife, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Wildlife, Mark Ian Cook, USA. Photo: Mark Ian Cook / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Wildlife, Jennifer Goddard, Cayman Islands. Photo: Jennifer Goddard / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Wildlife, Emanuele Biggi, Malaysia. Photo: Emanuele Biggi / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Wildlife, Christophe Mason-Parker, Seychelles. Photo: Christophe Mason-Parker / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Runner Up, Mangroves & Underwater, Jillian E Morris, Bahamas. Photo: Jillian E Morris / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Underwater, Alvaro Herrero Lopez-Bletran, Mexico. Photo: Alvaro Herrero Lopez-Bletran / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Underwater, Marelo Johan Ogata, Indonesia. Photo: Marelo Johan Ogata / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Underwater, Joe Daniels,Mauritius. Photo: Joe Daniels / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Underwater, Lorenzo Mittiga, Netherlands Antilles. Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Underwater, Hamid Rad, Indonesia. Photo: Hamid Rad / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Runner Up, Mangroves & Conservation, Srikanth Mannepuri, India. Photo: Srikanth Mannepuri / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Conservation, Miguel Diaz Perez, Mexico. Photo: Miguel Diaz Perez / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Conservation, Meharab Hossain, Bangladesh. Photo: Meharab Hossain / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Conservation, Enrico Marone, Brazil. Photo: Enrico Marone / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Highly Commended, Mangroves & Conservation, Steven Paton, Panama. Photo: Steven Paton / Mangrove Photography Awards -
Runner Up, Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year, Katta Devi Sri Kalyan, India. Photo: Katta Devi Sri Kalyan / Mangrove Photography Awards
