Join photographer Iwane Ai, featured in Japan House London’s exhibition Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai, for a conversation on photobook-making marking the release of her new photobook, A New River Flows.

The book brings together two works featured in the exhibition at Japan House, reconstructing them into a single narrative. A New River is a series of night-time cherry blossoms photographed in Japan’s Tōhoku region during the COVID-19 crisis, populated with figures from Japanese folk traditions. My Cherry, presented in the exhibition as a moving-image work, includes personal photographs Iwane took before she became a professional photographer, reflecting on the memory of her younger sister, who died by suicide. Interwoven with newly made photographs, the two series unfold in the book as a single continuous journey, in which personal memory, collective history and the rhythms of nature become inseparable.

In conversation with Sam Thorne, Director General and CEO of Japan House London, Iwane Ai discusses the story behind A New River Flows, alongside her broader approach to photobook-making: what draws her to the form, and how her books take shape.

Following the conversation, Iwane Ai will take part in a book signing. Copies of A New River Flows will be available to purchase from the Japan House London Shop on the day while stocks last.

This talk touches on themes including suicide and natural disaster.

About the speaker

Iwane Ai (b. 1975) began taking photographs while at high school in the United States, returning to Japan in 1996 to pursue a career in photography. Iwane was awarded the 44th Kimura Ihei Photography Award (2019) and the 44th Ina Nobuo Award (2019) for her photobook Kipuka (published in 2018) and related exhibitions. She is also the recipient of the New Photographer Award at the 37th Higashikawa International Photography Festival (2021) and the 3rd Prix Pictet Japan Award (2022).

This event is held in collaboration with The Photographers’ Gallery, ahead of the one-day event Beyond Labels: Japanese Women Photographers on Friday 18 September at The Photographers’ Gallery, accompanying their exhibition Japanese Women Photographers: From 1950s to Now.

The exhibition Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai is on display in the Gallery at Japan House London until 18 October 2026.

Please note that filming and photography may take place at this event. Photos and footage of the event may then be used to promote Japan House London, helping more people to discover what we offer. If you have any concerns, please contact us online or contact a member of the team on site.