In 2009 Japanese photographer and poet Henguchi and German photographer and artist Katja Stuke meet for the first time in Konohana, Osaka. Introduced by Goto Tetsuya, a designer, curator and long time friend, they decided to realize a photobattle the next year.

Katja Stuke and Oliver Sieber had been coming to Japan since 2005. Since their first residency in Osaka in 2006 various experiences, the encounter with Japanese (sub)culture, photography- and photobook-culture had an important influence in their artistic practice. They had been developing the idea of a photobattle – in reference to hip-hop culture – for some time. At the same moment as the first ANT!FOTO exhibition in 2010, a first battle was realized at Baikado in Konohana and Bloom Gallery in Juso, Osaka. Possible approaches to the question of whether and how photography functions as a visual means of communication, whether it can be a “visual Esperanto”, are fundamental to the various Photobattle performances, but also recur repeatedly in ANT!FOTO.

The first meeting between Henguchi and Katja has since developed into many encounters, joint projects and exhibitions, an exchange between Düsseldorf and Konohana (at first in cooperation with the Cultural Office of Düsseldorf, later the WELTKUNSTZIMMER in Düsseldorf and various partners in Osaka) including artists and musicians both in Düsseldorf and Osaka. Hopefully this will keep on growing over the next years.

In April there will be two events celebrating the last 15 years in Konohana.
Details and updates following soon.