Shoji Ueda

Shoji Ueda's name is often associated with meticulously staged pictures taken against a backdrop of sand dunes. He involved family members in these images, also appearing in them himself. The charm and originality of his compositions are more or less unique in the history of photography.

Ueda's work exists on the margins of documentary photography, informed by visual components garnered from within a small area in his native region of Tottori, a place which to all intents and purposes he never left. He perfected his staging technique, integrating all sorts of motifs into his work. Ueda's photography also reflects his curiosity and playfulness: his pictures are suffused with both poetry and humor.