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We visited Machiko Kyo and her beloved cat 'Mum' following their move into a new home. Click here to read an interview from the last time we met - 'Manga artist Machiko Kyo and her 'Cat Princess', the bashful Mum'.
This report is based on a talk titled 'How to Photograph Cats' that Mitsuaki Iwago recently gave at the Kawasaki City Museum in connection with his exhibition 'Mitsuaki Iwago's Animal Photography'. During his presentation, the cat-loving Iwago shared his methods and secrets for successfully capturing cats on film.
This month we feature photographer Nobuyoshi Araki (well-known by his nickname of 'Tensai Araki" or 'Araki the Genius') and his beloved cat Chiro. Born in the family home of his late-wife Yoko, Chiro came to live with Araki in March of 1988. For the next 22 years, until Chiro's death at Araki's side on March 2, 2010, the two forged a loving life partnership. The photobook 'Itoshi no Chiro' ('Lovely Chiro') was the beginning of Araki and Chiro's life of feline photography. Below, we introduce Araki's photography books that portray Chiro along with commentary by the photographer himself.
'Itoshi no Chiro' (Lovely Chiro) Published by Heibonsha Ltd. ￥945 Amazon.co.jp
"While sitting on my lap, Chiro loved it when I read to her from 'I Am a Cat' (by Natsume Soseki). You can tell Chiro's a girl by the way she stops peeing when I try to photograph her going to the bathroom. She really hates that. When Yoko was in the hospital, Chiro waited by my side for her to return. It was just the two of us watching the western sky."
Though Araki originally hated cats, Chiro's charm was able to win him over. Proudly showing off the lizards she caught and running around the balcony, Chiro's mischievous side was also evident. (more…)
Tadanori Yokoo is a widely known Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker and painter. In the early 70’s, Yokoo held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Many of the art lovers might know that he has been actively producing art works even after his retirement from commercially assigned works. It has been announced that Yokoo’s works will be exhibited at Yokohama Triennial 2011. ilove.cat had a chance to sit with the never-slowing artist Yokoo to ask few things about his cat.
Last September, Yokoo’s beloved cat “Tama” had an unfortunate accident and got into a life-threatening situation where the doctors told him “We are very sorry Mr. Yokoo. We don’t quite know how to put this but ...” However, with Yokoo’s love for his cat and the 18 years old cat Tama’s strength to choose life brought the happy family back. At “Setagaya Animal Festival,” an annual get-together of Setagaya Ward’s animal loving residents, they celebrated Tama’s better health and his happy owner, Yokoo. After the upheaval at “Setagaya Animal Festival,” Yokoo was widely covered by mass media for his death defeating cat. We had a chance to chat with Japan’s one of the most influential artist about his wonder cat.
