Takashi Arai

Takashi Arai is a Japanese visual artist and filmmaker. Takashi first encountered photography whilst studying biology at university. In an effort to trace photography to its origins, he encountered the daguerreotype, and after much trial and error mastered the complex technique.

Takashi doesn't see the daguerreotype as a nostalgic reproduction of a classical method. He has made it his own personal medium, finding it a reliable device for storing memories, and one which is far better for recording and transmitting interactions with his subjects than modern photography.

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Takashi was shaken by the helplessly parochial standpoint of his country and was motivated to hear firsthand how teenagers were feeling about the present situation.

The images featured in the Squaring the Circles exhibition are from this series of work titled Tomorrow’s History, which was born from the simple question 'Can we predict the future?' The project consists of daguerrotype portraits of teenagers inspired by a piece called 'Portrait of a Boy' (Knabenbildnis, 1928) by Kurt Günther.

Explore more of Takashi's work by visiting his website and Instagram