Herbie Yamaguchi Photo Exhibition:
Hope 2026: I Was Smiling When I Shot This

About the exhibition

FUJIFILM SQUARE is pleased to present Hope 2026: I Was Smiling When I Shot This, an exhibition of photographs by Herbie Yamaguchi, from June 26 (Fri) to July 16 (Thu), 2026. Yamaguchi is a photographer widely acclaimed for his vivid portrayals of life in London, where he moved after graduating from university at the age of 23 and encountered the punk rock scene. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, he has photographed an extraordinarily wide range of subjects. Beyond his photographic practice, he has also attracted broad attention for his way with words, whether in essays, as a radio personality, or as a lyricist.

Drawing on his childhood experience of overcoming serious illness, Herbie Yamaguchi adopted “hopeful living” as the guiding theme of his photography and has continued capturing images ever since. In his Hope series, which turns its lens toward hope for tomorrow, viewers can sense the photographer's warm gaze as he finds the spark of life in people going about their daily lives, even amid events such as the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and the COVID-19 pandemic, never ceasing to shoot in pursuit of hope.

This exhibition presents a carefully curated collection of approximately 100 works, ranging from vintage prints of early images produced during the roughly ten years following his move to London at the age of 23, including images from his Hatachi no Shokei (Aspirations at Age 20) series shot in the 1970s, through his most recent photographs. The exhibition includes a section where photographs are accompanied by anecdotes from the time of shooting and personal messages from the photographer, giving visitors a window into the heartwarming stories behind each image.

Exhibition overview