Nobuyuki Takahashi Photo Exhibition
“Song of the Birds ‘El Cant dels Ocells’”

About the exhibition

Presented by the FUJIFILM SQUARE Photo History Museum, this exhibition features approximately 25 previously unpublished works by Nobuyuki Takahashi, now known as a “photographer of riverine systems” for his work at the Niyodo River among others. These photos were taken between 1969 and 1972 in Zaragoza, Barcelona and Pamplona, Spain, during his three-years at the University of Zaragoza as an honorary visiting student, and in 1977 on a later visit.

The Franco dictatorship was in power thirty years following the Spanish Civil War. The economy was in deep recession, society was exhausted, and intense memories of the civil war lingered in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Sensitive to this backdrop, Takahashi energetically captured the simple lives of the people, the expressions of children full of vitality and casual scenes on city streets.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into the rather unexpected origins of Takahashi’s career, who upon returning to his hometown of Kochi in 1972, began a career as a freelance photographer with a focus on nature, particularly on “waves,” immersing himself in river basin areas and waterhead areas in virgin forests.

* On the title “Song of the Birds”
“Song of the Birds” (“El Cant dels Ocells” in Catalan)
A Catalan folk song. The song is about birds celebrating the birth of Christ and is widely known for its version arranged and performed by Catalan cellist Pablo Casals. On October 24, 1971, at the age of 94, Casals performed “Song of the Birds” at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which was broadcast worldwide. Casals is also known for his protests against the Franco regime and his anti-fascist stance throughout his life.