Kenji Chiga Photo Exhibition “HIJACK GENI IANN Books Publication Commemorative Exhibition” September 14-23

08/11/2024

Reminders Photography Stronghold is pleased to announce the Kenji Chiga photo exhibition “HIJACK GENI IANN Books Publication Commemorative Exhibition” in September 2024.

Chiga has been exploring and expressing the shadows of contemporary society, such as poverty and suicide, through innovative perspectives in works like “happn” (2015), “Bird, Night and then” (2017), and “The Suicide Boom” (2019), all meticulously constructed based on thorough research.

In 2022, after his own family became a target, Chiga began a new project focused on the theme of “ore-ore fraud” (a type of telephone scam in Japan). He released the artist book “HIJACK GENI,” which delves into the complex social realities where “it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from lies.” The work incisively captures the hidden realities behind the term “ore-ore fraud,” which many of us subconsciously choose to ignore.
This work was shortlisted for the Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles 2022 and was a finalist for the Prix Pictet Japan Award, later winning the Singapore International Photography Festival Dummy Award. As a result, a trade edition of the book has been published by the Korean publisher IANN Books.

The exhibition will feature proof sheets brought back from Korea and works created using the cleaned PS plates that were used in the actual printing process. Additionally, a special edition with an exclusive perk will be available for those who purchase it at RPS to commemorate the publication. Furthermore, this commemorative exhibition is also planned to be held next spring at RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES. Please stay tuned.

©︎Kenji Chiga / Hijack Geni

「HIJACK GENI」

The paper soaked in water began to break apart in no time, and the figure that had been there just a moment ago was already wavering and transforming at the edge of memory. What was it then?

In 2003, when the “It’s me” scam first started to become widely known to society, this crime was being committed by the so-called underworld. Now “ordinary” people who have lived their lives far from crime are becoming key players.

Scamming is a crime prohibited even within some gangs as an act against Buddhist teachings. It should be extremely abnormal that in today’s society people are doing this as a “job” to make a living, to make their dreams come true, to have fun, and to support their families.

In 2019, when I started working on this project, reading numerous reports and interviews made me empathetic towards the circumstances and psychology of the perpetrator’s side, but I accepted it as a story happening far away. However one day, I found out my mother had been targeted by a communications fraud group through a conversation with my parents. A contradictory feeling started to grow within me.

In 2020, during the shooting period, I spent my days like a member of a scam group. I toured hotels, offices, and karaoke booths that could be used as hideouts, hung around areas where scam calls were being made, brought baggage from luggage locker to luggage locker, bought and collected tools necessary for crime, visited the elderly, made phone calls, and withdrew 300,000 JPY from an ATM.

Even though I wasn’t actually committing a criminal act, I remember feeling nervous if people were looking at me. I gradually lost track of what was true and what was a lie.

In 2021, Just as fraud group members play different roles, I created fictional portraits of 90 elderly and young people, based off of my own face.

It was as though these people, who were both myself, and not myself, really existed, and by the time I thought of pseudonyms for 560 people, the portraits had become all the more real. And so it was somewhat of a relief when I printed the images in this work on water-soluble paper and melted them, pretending it all never happened. The fraud group may have felt this way when destroying evidence.

In 2022, this work is a conglomeration of the resulting contradictions and lies.

In my imagination, I was both the perpetrator and the victim, but in reality I was a third party. It is water that encompasses those who have melted and become invisible. What do we see inside us as we sway?

Addendum: In 2024, reflecting the current societal climate, instances of fraud have continued to increase over the past two years, adapting in form.

Kenji Chiga

Kenji Chiga Photo Exhibition “HIJACK GENI IANN Books Publication Commemorative Exhibition”

◎Exhibition Dates: September 14th (Sat) – 23rd (Mon, National Holiday: Autumnal Equinox Day), 2024
13:00 – 19:00, Open every day during the exhibition period, Free admission

◎Opening Reception / Artist Talk
September 14th (Sat), 2024, starting around 7:00 PM
Please note that the opening reception and artist talk will begin at 7:00 PM. The exhibition itself will be open from 1:00 PM.

◎Venue: Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery
Address: 2-38-5 Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
(6 minutes on foot from Hikifune Station on the Tobu Skytree Line, 5 minutes on foot from Keisei Hikifune Station)

＊There may be additional talk events held during the exhibition period. Please check our social media for updates as details are confirmed.

©︎Kenji Chiga / Hijack Geni

©︎Kenji Chiga / Hijack Geni

©︎Kenji Chiga / Hijack Geni

©︎Kenji Chiga / Hijack Geni

©︎Kenji Chiga / Hijack Geni

Kenji Chiga｜Profile

Born in Shiga Prefecture in 1982, Kenji Chiga is a graduate of Osaka University. Over the years, he has garnered significant recognition in the field of photography. His work has earned him the Grand Prize at the 16th “1_WALL” Photo Competition, the Excellence Award at the 44th Canon New Cosmos of Photography, and the Best New Photographer Award at the 8th Dali International Photography Exhibition. In 2022, Chiga’s work was further acknowledged with the Singapore International Photography Festival Dummy Award. His talent has also been recognized internationally, with his projects being shortlisted for the prestigious Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles in both 2019 and 2022.

Chiga’s exhibitions reflect his deep engagement with contemporary issues and his innovative approach to visual storytelling. Notable exhibitions include his solo show “Suppressed Voice,” which won the Grand Prize at the 16th “1_WALL” competition and was displayed at Guardian Garden in 2018. In 2021, his work was featured in the “New Cosmos of Photography” exhibition at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Chiga continued to explore complex social themes in his solo exhibition “HIJACK GENI” at Reminders Photography Stronghold in 2022. That same year, his work was also part of the Prix Pictet Japan Award “Fire & Water” exhibition at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. In 2024, his latest exhibition, “First, Do It Yourself,” was showcased at BUG, further cementing his reputation as a leading voice in contemporary photography.
https://chigakenji.com

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