Photographer Hal
Biography
(Haruhiko Kawaguchi) Born 1971
《Gallery》
《Signed Books》
“I want to capture love as it really is and the bathtub is an ideal vehicle to encapsulate the vivid reality in my images. A grand theme in mankind is Love and I, Photographer Haal, am challenging the majestic theme!”
Also known as Photographer Haal, Haruhiko Kawaguchi was born and educated in Tokyo, Japan where he is based. “Living through my university days, I was starving for encounters with different people from other cultures around the world. As soon as I had the opportunity, I left Japan and began my journey with a special focus in the Middle East and India. It was there where I first became aware of my passion for photography. The camera became the key to overcoming shyness and limited local language skills and I could in some way communicate with the people I met. After graduating from university, I joined an advertising production company in Tokyo and this opportunity enabled me to acquire a much wider set of photographic skills. The assignments were varied and unique including celebrates and established fashion icons. It was the crucible of my technical ability and the focus in my work soon became the people”
Bathtubs, couples, love and challenge are strong themes found throughout Photographer Haal’s works with many key elements including individuality, style, communication and intimacy. Photographer Hal brings complete strangers to his confined, crucible like spaces only to convey his continuing theme of 「love of the couple」. The initial title 《Pinky & Killer》 used a small space or room to capture the willing couples, soon followed by the title 《Couple Jam》 which brought the focus even closer to the subjects who were placed in a bathtub together. “I want to capture love as it really is and the bathtub is an ideal vehicle to encapsulate the vivid reality in my images….” “I am currently seeking new dimensions in portrait photography by challenging the majestic theme of mankind, defined through love.” Photographer Hal’s latest project is called 《Flesh Love Returns》, which captures the many varied and fresh couples in vacuum sealed package at a place which is important for them.
A very different angle visually and content wise can be found in Photographer Haal’s ongoing black-and-white series ‘?’, which body of work acts as an attempt to display the artist’s personal point of view of the current chaotic information society. “The subject of my camera work is whatever that makes me go ‘?’. By looking back at all the ‘?’ that I’ve captured, I believe that I get to understand the world in a deeper level.”
Photographer Haal has had several solo and group exhibitions in Japan as well as in the US, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, France and the Netherlands. His work is in the Japanese contemporary art collection of the renowned art collector of African and Japanese art, Jean Pigozzi.
https://www.photographerhal.com
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2015 HAL. Ibasho Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
2014 Zatsuran. Nikon Salon, Tokyo, Japan
2013 Flesh Love. 1839 Contemporary Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2013 Flesh Love. Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR, United States
2012 Flesh Love. Gallery Tanto Tempo, Kobe, Japan
2011 Flesh Love Gallery Tosei, Tokyo, Japan
2011 Flesh Love. Nikon Salon, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Couple Jam. Gallery Tosei, Tokyo
2008 Pinky & Killer DX. Mememachine Gallery, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2005 Pinky & Killer Golden Nagune. Golden Town, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
2000 Funky. Rosso, Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan
Selected Group Exhibitions
2013 Transformer. The Body Remixed. Gallery SAW Gallery, Ottawa, Canada
2012 New Directions – Crossing Territories. WWall Space Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
2010 Group Exhibition – Sound of Photography, Seibu, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Group Exhibition – Jeune Photographie Japonaise. Galerie de la Gare, Paris, France
Publications
2016 Flesh Love Returns Publication. Publisher – Tosei-Sha, Tokyo, Japan
2014 Zatsuran Publication. Publisher – Tosei-Sha, Tokyo, Japan
2011 Flesh Love Publication. Publisher – Tosei-Sha, Tokyo, Japan
2011 Flesh Love for iPad Application
2009 Couple Jam Publication. Publisher – Tosei-Sha, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Pinky & Killer DX Publication. Publisher – Tosei-Sha, Tokyo, Japan
Collections
2011 JAPIGOZZI Collection “Flesh Love”
2009 JAPIGOZZI Collection “Couple Jam’
Articles (selected!)
Video (starts in chinese but then reverts to english) 真空攝影！看完令人窒息！ft. Photographer Haal（《今天世界很好玩》）
The Artist Who Puts Couples in Vacuum Packs Vice Magazine 2015
Photographer Haal captures couples lubed up, wrapped in plastic and vacuum-sealed id Magazine 2016
Photographer Haal vacuum seals couples for condomania ads Designboom 2014
Vacuum-Sealed Couples Get More Intimate in “Flesh Love Returns” Highsnobiety 2016
Video FLESH LOVE - Photographer Hal KameraClub.
Video Condomania Presents Flesh Love by Photographer Hal 2014
Photographer Hal returns with vacuum sealed couples in intimate spaces Designboom 2016
PORTRAITS OF VACUUM-SEALED LOVERS IN THEIR FAVORITE PLACES Featureshoot 2016
This photographer vacuum-packs couples together to show the power of love Metro 2016
Condom Ads Show Couples Literally Sealed Together Huffington Post 2014
‘Flesh Love’: Photographer Haal’s Vacuum-Sealed Couples Huffington Post 2012
Photographer HaAL in Antwerp Ibasho Gallery, Belgium 2016
VACUUM-SEALED PACK OF LOVE | PHOTOGRAPHER HaAL CAPE TOWN SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2017
Photographer Haal:–Fresh Love L'ŒIL DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE 2012
Flesh Love by Photographer HAaL Trouble Magazine 2013
Bizarre shrink-wrapped art amazes CBS News
Japanese photographer tries to keep love fresh by vacuum-wrapping couples. Creative Boom 2015
Incredible photos capture couples shrink-wrapped together for art The Telegraph 2016
YOU CAN'T STOP STARING AT THESE VACUUM-SEALED COUPLES Thrillist 2014
Discovered Photographer Hal on DDO here's the background on the Fresh Love series Papillon 2012
Breath of fresh air BBC Culture 2014
Flesh Love, Photos of Vacuum-Packed Couples Laughing Squid 2012
Flesh Love by Photographer Haal Why Do Two Become One? Gestalten 2016
Strangers Get Shrink-Wrapped Together For Love Refinery 29
Flesh Love | Photographer Hal Feeldesain 2012
Don't try this at home! Couples risk their lives to be VACUUM-PACKED in plastic bags for bizarre photos that are all the rage in Tokyo Daily Mail (!) 2016
Photographer Hal Vacuum Seals Couples In Bizarre Condom Ads beautiful decay
Vacuum-sealed gallery Cnet
Photographer creates 'vacuum pack' wedding photoshoot for couples in cling-film? The Herald 2016
WRAPPED UP IN LOVE Couples get vacuum packed for bizarre photos… and the snapper has only four seconds to get the shot before they SUFFOCATE(!) The Sun 2016
"Shepherdess
Weird, sooner or later something is almost bound to go tragically wrong"
Couples are wrapped in cling film and suffocated for bizarre 'vacuum pack' wedding shoot Glasgow Evening Times 2016
Deli Brown
No Glasgow news today then ?????
If we were interested in Japanese stories we wouldn't be looking at the Evening Times ! ! ! ! ! ! !
The vacuum-packed love of photographer Haruhiko Kawaguchi Fox Italy 2016
Lovers In Vacuum By Photographer Haal Ignant 2016
'Flesh Love': Japanese Photographer Vacuum-Seals Couples Culture Trip 2016
The Japanese photographer who shrink-wraps couples returns with new series Photographer Hal's Flesh Love returns with slightly less flesh. Acclaim Magazine 2016
Revisiting Haruhiko Kawaguchi’s Vaccum-Sealed Duos Hi-Fructose Magazine 2016
An essay about meeting Photographer Haal by Feliz Lucia Molina
The Goude, the bad and the ugly Japan Times 2014