Whilst Tokyo Auto Salon chaos unfolded in Chiba, there was a much more relaxed, grassroots show quietly going on in central Tokyo.
This was the Analogue Automotive Motives Exhibition, a community-led and -supported film photography showcase where – you guessed it – the theme was all things automotive.
The exhibition was spearheaded by Tokyo local and film photographer John, closely supported by Parker and Eiichi – also Japan based film photographers; put together to give local photographers a chance at exhibiting their work in a real-world, public space.
Twenty-eight resident artists had a place on the walls over the week-long show, each artist having to stick to just a few basic guidelines. Photos were to be shot on film, and include some sort of automotive context. That’s it.
This creative freedom led to some pretty amazing displays, a personal favourite being Maliq Alfakbar’s, showing off not just his photography but also his VHS work in the music and automotive industry here in Tokyo.
Just a few weeks before the exhibition began, John had reached out to me asking if Turnpike would like to be involved, and rather than having our own work on display, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to further open up the display space for another handful of artists.
In just a few short days we had almost 50 artists reach out, so with difficulty, we chose 25 of those to have their work displayed alongside the 28 AAM residents. The work submitted was phenomenal, so reducing this count down was a tall order, but we’re extremely grateful to everyone that made the effort and reached out. It’s heartwarming to see the enthusiasm behind us.
Over the week, the exhibition reached thousands of eyes; locals and visitors from across the globe. Having this space to help share the Turnpike community’s work was all thanks to John, Parker and Eiichi, so a massive thank you to the team.
Seeing this sort of response to the gallery was more proof to us that the art of both physical media and photography is still thriving – and that always will. Turnpike will help to provide more opportunities like this, another way to give back to the community we’re so proud to be a part of.
Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see our own gallery pop up one of these years.
