ANDALUCIA 1988 Taiji Matsue

This volume presents ANDALUCIA 1988, a previously unpublished series by photographer Taiji Matsue, captured during a two-month residency in Andalusia, Southern Spain—his first shooting location overseas.

Matsue’s path to photography began after being deeply moved by Daido Moriyama’s 1982 photobook Light and Shadow. While studying geography and satellite image processing at the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Science, Matsue frequently visited Moriyama for critiques, honing his technical skills and refining his artistic direction. In the summer of 1988, following his debut solo exhibition TRANSIT (1987), the 25-year-old Matsue set out for Andalusia.

Spending two months in a region defined by intense Mediterranean sunlight and sharp contrast, this experience became a pivotal turning point in the development of his signature style: direct frontal lighting that eliminates shadows, compositions without horizons, and "absolute focus" across the entire frame. The book includes a contribution by Takahiro Ito, curator at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, with book design by Hikari Machiguchi (MATCH and Company).