I’M SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE Fotografie Forum Frankfurt May 24, 2025 | September 7, 2025
I’M SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE
With photographs from the 1950s to the present day, the exhibition I’M SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE offers a new and fascinating look at Japanese photography. The focus is on women photographers and their perspective on everyday life and society in Japan. The exhibition features the work of over twenty artists from different generations, including Ishiuchi Miyako, Kawauchi Rinko and Katayama Mari.
From street photography to contemporary experimentation, this exhibition is characterised by a broad range of themes, diversity and visual strategies. The exhibition was curated by Lesley A. Martin, Takeuchi Mariko and Pauline Vermare. The Fotografie Forum Frankfurt is the only German venue on the world tour. The Japanese curator Takeuchi Mariko will be present at the opening, and the exhibiting artists have been invited.
The influence of women in Japanese photography has been greatly underestimated. While the work of male Japanese photographers has received most of the attention in the West in recent decades, their female colleagues have remained under the radar. The isolated position of Japanese women artists in a male-dominated society often seems to have given them the freedom to set aside traditional photographic conventions and work independently and experimentally. Many of the photographers featured in this exhibition use their personal histories to explore the role of women, raise questions about gender and identity, and critique patriarchal norms.
The exhibition is divided into four sections: ‘The Pioneers’, ‘The Elevation of the Everyday’, ‘Critical Perspectives on Self, Gender, and Society’ and ‘Extensions of and Experiments with the Medium’.
Participating Photographers
Hara Mikiko (1967), Hiromix (1976), Ishikawa Mao (1953), Ishiuchi Miyako (1947), Katayama Mari (1987), Kawauchi Rinko (1972), Komatsu Hiroko (1969), Kon Michiko (1955), Nagashima Yurie (1973), Narahashi Asako (1959), Ninagawa Mika (1972), Nishimura Tamiko (1948), Noguchi Rika (1971), Nomura Sakiko (1967), Okabe Momo (1981), Okanoue Toshiko (1928), Onodera Yuki (1962), Sawada Tomoko (1977), Shiga Lieko (1980), Sugiura Kunié (1942), Tawada Yuki (1978), Tokiwa Toyoko (1930–2019), Ushioda Tokuko (1940), Watanabe Hitomi (1943), Yamazawa Eiko (1899–1995) and Yanagi Miwa (1967)
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
