Koji ONAKA
Born in 1960. Graduated from Tokyo Photography College (now Tokyo Visual Arts) in 1982. Has been working freelance ever since.
Since joining Image Shop CAMP in 1982, he has exhibited his work primarily at independent galleries. He currently runs Gallery Kaido in Nakano, Tokyo.
Since 1999, he has switched from black and white to color negatives, and still shoots on film and produces prints in a darkroom.
His numerous photobooks include "DISTANCE" "Tokyo Candy Box," "Slow Boat," "Have a Break" and "Tin and Chimneys." Many of his photobooks are self-published, and he also edits, designs, and sale
his self.
1960 Born in Fukuoka prefecture in Japan
1982 Graduated from Tokyo Photograph College (present name/Tokyo Visual Arts). Participated in the Image shop CAMP
1988 Opened up the gallery [KAIDO] at Tokyo (It was managed untill 1992.).
2002 Participated in the gallery [photographers' gallery] at Tokyo.
2007 Reopened up the gallery [KAIDO] at Tokyo until 2014
2015 [KAIDO Magazine] start a new photo magazine
2016 Gallery KAIDO reopen in Tokyo
Major solo exhibitions
2025 [A Slow Boat to China] PlaceM /Shanghai China
2025 [Tin Roof & Chimney] Aquta /Kyoto
2024 [Slow boat Journal] HLiiC /Nanjin China
2024 [Koji Onaka] Daejeon International Photo Festival/Korea
2024 [100 Days] Gallery NEGATIVE /Busan Korea
2023 [10 Days] Gallery NEGATIVE/Busan Korea
2022 [Have a Break & My Ektachrome] Gallery NEGATIVE/Busan Korea
2022 [My Ektachrome] Gallery KAIDO
2021 [Have a Break] Gallery KAIDO / gallery 176 Osaka / gallery 0369 Mie
2021 [Horse & Cactus] Gallery KAIDO / Solaris
2021 [My photo book history] Book obscura Tokyo
2021 [Faraway Boat and Little Faded Trip] Gallery NEGATIVE Busan Korea
2020 [Little Faded Trip] PLACE M Tokyo / Gallery 176 Osaka / gallery 0369
Mie
2020 [Neko to Koji-kun] Solaris Osaka / Fuji Film Photo Salon Tokyo
2020 [Faraway Boat] Poetic Scape Tokyo
2020 [Faraway Boat] Irie Taikichi memorial museum of photography Nara city/
Nara
2019 [Short Trip Again] Gallery NEGATIVE Busan . Korea
2019 [Faraway Boat] White Press Verlag. Colgne Germany
2019 [Sleeping cat] Super labo Tokyo
2018 [memories of younger days in Shinjuku] in)(between gallery. Paris France
2018 [Slow boat] Solaris Osaka.Japan
2018 ['80s Shinjuku] Place M Tokyo. Japan
2018 [Koji Onaka] Gallery Wall Ulsan. Korea
2018 [Free bird] Pan view gallery Zhengzhou.China
2018 [Short trip again] Visual art gallery Osaka.Japan
2018 [Slow boat] Imageless Space Wuxi.China
2018 [sleeping cat] gallery Kaido.Tokyo
2017 [slow boat] Poetic scape. Tokyo
2017 [Collecting Summers] Gallery Kaido. Tokyo
2017 [Matatabi 2017 Spring] Gallery Kaido. Tokyo
2016 [Black frame vertical position] Nakamatsu Shoten. Tokyo
2016 [Memento vivere- From the road] in)(between gallery .Paris
2016 [Lucky cat] Fondation A Stichting, Brussels
2015 [chromaAtic time Axis-detached] in)(between gallery .Paris
2015 [Lucky Trip Again] Solaris,Osaka
2015 [Umimachi] Zeit Foto Salon,Tokyo
2014 [twin boat]Visual art Gallery Osaka／Zen Foto Galley
2014 [Lucky cat & Matatabi] Projektraum Fotografie Dortmund Germany
2014 [The Dog in France] Le 29 Librairie Photographique Paris
2013 [My favorite 21] Zen photo gallery Roppongi,Tokyo
2012 [I'm full] Sorajuku,Tokyo/Athens,Osaka
2012 [Koji Onaka]CARRÉ AMELOT ,La Rochell.France
2010 [Tokyo Candy Box] LE PLAC'ART PHOTO, Paris
2010 [Horse & Cactus 2] EMON photo gallery, Tokyo
2009 [SEITAKA-AWADACHISO/NOGATA] Tanio Musium, Fukuoka
2008 [The Dog in France] Nadar,Osaka
2007 [Horse&Cactus- in Mexico] Emon photo gallery,Tokyo
2007 [DRAGONFLY] Chukyo University gallery C・Square
2006 [GARSSHOPPER] ZEIT FOTO SALON,Tokyo
2005 [Latvia,Spain] Visual Arts gallery,Tokyo
2003 [slow boat] photographers' gallery,Tokyo
2003 [MATATABI] ZEIT FOTO SALON,Tokyo
2002 [Tokyo1984-91/Reaview mirror part2 ] photographers' gallery,Tokyo
2001 [Tokyo Candy Box] PLACE M, Tokyo /Visual Arts,Tokyo/ Shinjuku Nikon Salon, Tokyo
1998 [Machikage] Studio EBIS Photo Gallery, Tokyo
1996 [DISTANCE] mole,Tokyo/BERG,Tokyo
1993 [Seitaka Awadachi-sou] Ginza Nikon Salon, Tokyo
1988-91 series [Seitaka Awadachi-sou] a total of 32 times, gallery KAIDO, Tokyo
1983 [Seitaka Awadachi-sou no aru machi] CAMP, Tokyo
Group exhibitions
2024 [A Slow Boat to China] Shanghai International Photo Festival China
2023 [CAMP Exhibition] Espace SINIBALDI Arles France
2022 [Faraway Boat&Have a Break] Incadaques International Photo Festival Spain
2019 [Heisei-Tokyo Snap shot Love] Fuji Film SQUARE Tokyo/ Osaka
2019 [Kaido] Wall gallery Ulsan, Korea
2018 [Highsight - Fotografia ad alta quota] Comune di Gressoney-saint Jean, Italy
2017 [slow boat -10 years of White press] at Forum für Fotografie. Köln ,Germany
2016 [Seven Japanese Rooms] Fondazion Cassa dI risparmio, La Spezia, Italy
2016 [Japanese Photography from Postwar to Now] SFMOMA,Sun Francisco,USA
2016 [Contemporary Japanese Photography] MOMA Tbilisi,Georgia
2014 [Umiachi1997] Kunsthause Essen Germany
2014 [CANALE GARNDE] KunstVereine Ruhr Germany
2011 [Sigeichi Nagano & Koji Onaka// Ce qui se défait ] PHOTO4, Paris France.
2010 [Daegu Photo Biennale] Culture and Art Center, Daegu, Korea.
2010 [Landscape of Ashikaga] Ashikaga Art Museum,Tochigi.
2009 [Voayages] The Japan Foundation
Paris France/ Toluca Mexico/ Lisbon Portugal/ Tokyo
2009 [THE MANILA BOX] Kaida gallery Manila Phillipin
2007 [Japan Caught by Camera]Shanghai Musium China
2007 [RECENT ACQUISITIONS] Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
2005 [Takaramono-My precious:Photos and words five contenporary japanese photographers] Yokohama citizens gallery,Yokohama
2002-3 [BLACK OUT/Contemporary Japanese Photography ]
The Japan Foundation Roma/Paris/Tokyo
2002 [The18th Higasikawa Photofiesta] Higashikawa Culture Gallery,Hokkaido
Books and Zines
2025 [DISTANCE] KAIDO BOOKS
2025 [in Roof & Chimney] NEGATIVE/ Korea
2024 [A Slow Boat to China] Jiazazhi& PlaceM /China
2024 [100 Days]Gallery NEGATIVE/ Korea
2023 [10 Days] Gallery NEGATIVE/ Korea
2023 [My Ektachrome] KAIDO BOOKS
2021 [Have a Break] KAIDO BOOKS
2021 [Tokyo Candy Box 2nd edition] Imageless/China
2021 [Horse & Cactus] KAIDO BOOKS
2021 [Shanghai Hot Pod] KAIDO BOOKS
2020 [Little Faded Trip] KAIDO BOOKS
2020 [Long time no see] KAIDO BOOKS
2019 [Faraway boat] KAIDO BOOKS
2019 [Neko wa Neko] KAIDO BOOKS
2018 [memories of younger days in Shinjuku] KAIDO BOOKS
2018 [sleeping cat] SUPER LABO
2017 [slow boat 3rd edition] Imageless
2017 [collecting summer] SUPER LABO
2016 [Black frame vertical possition] KAIDO BOOKS
2016 [OUTTAKES] KAIDO BOOKS
2015 [Seitaka-awadachiso 2nd edition] KAIDO BOOKS
2015 [NOGATA] KAIDO BOOKS
2014 [SHORT TRIP AGAIN] Matatabi Library
2014 [EXTRA HARD] Matatabi Library
2013 [Lucky cat] Matatabi Library
2013 [Horse & Cactus] White Press
2013 [My favorite 21] Zen Foto gallery
2013 [twin boat] session press
2012 [Umimachi・1997] Matatabi library
2012 [DISTANCE 2nd edition] Matatabi Library
2012 [Matatabi] Super Labo
2011 [Long time no see] Média immédiat
2011 [SHINJUKU] Super Labo
2011 [Tokyo'80s] Super Labo
2011 [Umimachi] Super Labo
2008 [1983 Nogata:Echoes of Coal and Steel] Grafica
2008 [The Dog in France] Sokyu-sha
2008 [slow boat 2nd edition]Schaden.com
2007 [DRAGONFLY] Tosei-sha
2006 Zine[1989・Summer to Osaka] Matatabi Library
2006 [GRASSHOPPER] Tosei-sha
2005 Zine[The Dog in France] Matatabi Library
2005 Zine[KODOJI] Matatabi Library
2005 [in-between Latvia,Spain] EU-Japan fest Japan Committee
2003 [slow boat] Sokyu-sha
2001 [hysteric Five : Onaka Koji] hysteric glamour
2001 [Tokyo Candy Box] Wize Shuppan
1995 [DISTANCE] Mole
1991 [Seitaka-awadachiso] Sokyu-sha
Essay
2015 [The memories of younger days in Tokyo revision] KAIDO BOOKS
2012 [The memories of younger days in Tokyo] Matatabi Libray
Award
2006 The Photographic Society of Japan new photographer prize
2002 The18th Higasikawa new photographer prize
1992 The 4th Society of Photography prize
Collection
Fondation A Stichting-Brussels
MOMA San Francisco, USA
Shanghai Museum, China
Carré Amelot- La Rochelle-France
Tokyo Metlopolitan Museum of photography
Higashikawa Culture Gallery-Hokkaido
I set up my first darkroom when I was 16 years old in my room at home and then I started to do film development and printing by myself.
In 1982, When I was 22 years old, after graduating from Tokyo Photography College,I participated in an independent gallery called "CAMP" that was founded by Daido Moriyama, I had my first exhibition at "CAMP" in 1983.
At that time,I took photos of my hometown for the exhibition because I had been away since I was 10 years old.
I had the feeling that I wanted to find my lost childhood memories there.
When I was 28 years old, I opened up a small space for my work that I named "Gallery Kaido" and I did a series of exhibitions titled "Seitaka-awadachiso" that were held 32 times over a period of 4 years.
When this exhibition series came to end, I made my first photo book.
Since then, I have travelled to a lot of rural Japanese towns and foreign countries. But even now, I think that I am still looking for traces of my own memories in every place I visit.
I haven't really changed that much, I'm still making all my own prints in my darkroom even now.
Koji Onaka