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Region Free : Reloaded

Tokio Kuniyoshi

CONTRAST is pleased to present “Region Free: Reloaded,” a solo exhibition by New York–based photographer Tokio Kuniyoshi, on view from November 29, Saturday, to December 7, Sunday. This exhibition explores the intersection between Kuniyoshi’s “roots”—deeply connected to the culture and natural materials of Okinawa—and the “perspective” he has cultivated through his life and practice in New York. The title “Region Free” embodies the artist’s desire to see the world with an open, borderless mindset, beyond the boundaries of place and culture. At the core of Kuniyoshi’s work lies Ryukyu limestone, a natural material unique to Okinawa. By engaging with its distinct texture, fragility, and layered sense of time, and by overlapping it with the sensibilities of his second home, New York, he reconnects his origins with his present self. Within Ryukyu limestone rest crystals and fossils formed over thousands to hundreds of thousands of years. Though often deemed too fragile for construction use and discarded at factories, Kuniyoshi finds true value precisely in this fragility. For him, what is easily overlooked contains traces of time and the cycles of nature—quietly revealing a refined sense of wabi-sabi. “Region Free: Reloaded” builds upon Kuniyoshi’s solo exhibition “Region Free,” held in Okinawa from December 2024 to March 2025. While serving as a continuation, this evolved version presents new and experimental photographic works that reframe the themes of Okinawa and New York through a renewed lens. ー Date: 11/29(Sat) - 12/7(Sun) Time: 12:00 - 19:00 (until 18:00 on the last day) Opening Party: 11/28(Fri) 18:00 - 21:00 Closing Party: 12/7(Sun) 15:00 - 18:00 Venue: CONTRAST Entrance: Free Support: Kobundo Communications Co., Ltd., IN FOCUS Inc., SMS Richie Co., Ltd., Mizuhoshuzo, and OneSpirit Co., Ltd.

Tokio Kuniyoshi

Born in 1980 in Naha, Okinawa. Currently based in New York. After moving to the United States in 2002, he studied photography for four years in San Francisco. In 2006, seeking new possibilities, he relocated to New York. He obtained an artist visa in 2008 and founded his own company, shootinglife LLC. The following year, he established his own photo studio in Long Island City, New York, together with his colleagues. While primarily working as a portrait photographer, he has also been dedicated to fine art photography since the beginning of his career. His works have been exhibited extensively both in Japan and abroad, earning numerous awards in international competitions. Since 2014, he has expanded his practice beyond two-dimensional photography, exploring installation and experimental expressions using photography as his primary medium. Having begun his career in the era of film and darkrooms, and having transitioned through the rise of digital photography, he continues to create works that seamlessly merge analog and digital techniques. Rooted in the vibrant colors, yuimaaru spirit, and relaxed yet convivial culture of his Okinawan upbringing, he combines these influences with the urban sensibility and diversity of San Francisco and New York to form his own distinctive style. Grounded in the chanpuru spirit of Okinawa—an ethos of blending rather than limiting—he continues to explore new possibilities by mixing different elements. From 2023 to 2025, he serves as a judge for the London Fine Art Photography Awards. From November 2024 to March 2025, he will hold a solo exhibition in his hometown of Okinawa, presenting a new body of work inspired by the island’s unique culture and spirit.

About CONTRAST
In 2022, CONTRAST opened as a creative space in Yoyogi-Hachiman, Tokyo. The interior, based on a 45-year-old structure, consists of three floors under the concept of "reconstruction," and is managed by IN FOCUS, a digital branding studio that operates under the theme of "We propose new perspectives through a collective pursuit of digital excellence.". The space not only serves as its own creative space but also aims to be widely open to the public, providing a space for continuous and experimental reconstruction by its users, breaking free from limitations. Focusing on various forms of expression and encountering the creators who produce them, we will come to understand the importance of "CONTRAST = comparison" in our endeavors. Operated by IN FOCUS.In 2022, CONTRAST opened as a creative space in Yoyogi-Hachiman, Tokyo. The interior, based on a 45-year-old structure, consists of three floors under the concept of "reconstruction," and is managed by IN FOCUS, a digital branding studio that operates under the theme of "We propose new perspectives through a collective pursuit of digital excellence.". The space not only serves as its own creative space but also aims to be widely open to the public, providing a space for continuous and experimental reconstruction by its users, breaking free from limitations. Focusing on various forms of expression and encountering the creators who produce them, we will come to understand the importance of "CONTRAST = comparison" in our endeavors. Operated by IN FOCUS.

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