Kenji Arata's survey of civic brutalist buildings across Japan and Eastern Europe, shot at the hours when hard sun defines their geometry.
These buildings were designed to be monumental; Arata photographs them to be intimate. Note how consistently the human figure is withheld from the frame, and how much it is missed.
Stairwell, KobeKenji Arata, 2023Silver gelatin print, 50 × 62 cmMunicipal library, built 1971, demolished 2024.Overpass, WarsawKenji Arata, 2024Silver gelatin print, 70 × 47 cmNoon light, no shadow left to hide in.Facade Study No. 9Kenji Arata, 2024Silver gelatin print, 55 × 55 cmOne of a series of eleven facades, all shot at 1pm.The Assembly HallKenji Arata, 2025Silver gelatin print, 70 × 47 cmEmpty since 2019; the light still arrives on schedule.