Nobuyuki Kobayashi Exhibition of Platinum Prints

Photographer Nobuyuki Kobayashi has a new exhibition, appropriately called “Platinum,” starting today at Gallery Fukka in Jimbocho and running until March 3.

This exhibition is photographer Nobuyuki Kobayashi’s first exhibition of only platinum prints. Few people, especially in Japan, know exactly what a platinum print is. After taking a photo with a large format camera (in this case, an 8×10 inch camera), the image is then developed onto Japanese paper using platinum printing. Platinum printing is an antique style of photo developing in which the platinum photosensitive solution (which Kobayashi makes himself) is brushed directly onto the paper with a brush. This gives the photo a classic feeling and gradation that cannot be achieved with any other photographic process. Worldwide, there are few photographers utilizing the combination of Japanese paper with platinum printing. This exhibition is a rare chance to catch a glimpse of delicate world that results when you mix the dignified beauty of platinum with the warm textures of Japanese paper.