Mao Ishikawa at Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre
1st May, 2025 – 23rd June, 2025
Mead Gallery
Warwick Arts Centre
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
The Mead Gallery at Warwick Arts Centre is set to unveil the first institutional solo exhibition in Europe dedicated to Mao Ishikawa this May, the pioneering Okinawan artist and activist whose raw, unflinching images have chronicled life on the margins of Japanese society for nearly five decades.
Bringing together more than 60 works spanning the 1970s to the present, the exhibition traces the breadth of Ishikawa’s photographic practice, from her seminal series Red Flower: The Women of Okinawa to her ongoing exploration of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
Frequently likened to Nan Goldin for her intimate, documentary-style images, Ishikawa emerged in the late 1970s with Red Flower, a striking series that captured the lives of Okinawan women who formed relationships with African American servicemen stationed at U.S. military bases.
Originally published in the 1982 photobook Hot Days in Camp Hansen, these images offer an unvarnished portrait of camaraderie and survival in a community shaped by American military presence. Her deep engagement with her subjects—living among them, listening to their stories—became the hallmark of a career defined by empathy and unfiltered realism.
Though Okinawa remains her home and central focus, Ishikawa’s lens has roamed farther. In Life in Philly (1986), she journeyed to the United States to document the hometown of an African American serviceman she met in Japan, extending her exploration of race, identity, and belonging. Other projects have turned to Japan’s military history, from the remnants of its imperial past to the contemporary reality of the Self-Defense Forces and their entanglement with the U.S. presence in the region.
© Mao Ishikawa
Now in her 70s, Ishikawa remains as engaged as ever, pushing the boundaries of documentary photography. Her recent work includes The Great Ryukyu Photo Scroll (2014–), a departure into creative interpretation, rooted in the historical and cultural identity of Okinawa. This shift was prefigured by Here’s What the Japanese Flag Means to Me (2008), an earlier meditation on national symbols and contested narratives.
Mao Ishikawa Commented: “I am delighted to have my first institutional solo exhibition in Europe at the Mead Gallery. For the past 50 years I have photographed Okinawa and things related to Okinawa. From this exhibition, I hope that people all over the world can see what is happening on this small island.”
Through her relentless curiosity and commitment to storytelling, Ishikawa continues to challenge perceptions of Okinawa, Japan, and beyond—an endeavour now receiving long-overdue recognition on the European stage.
About Mao Ishikawa
Mao Ishikawa (b. 1953, Okinawa, Japan) is a pioneering photographer whose work captures the raw, often-overlooked realities of Okinawan life, shaped by U.S. military occupation, postwar struggles, and cultural resilience. Rejecting detached documentation, she embraces “photography of the inside,” immersing herself in the lives of her subjects.
Her breakthrough series, Hot Days in Camp Hansen (1975-77), depicts Okinawan women in relationships with Black American soldiers, presenting them with agency and warmth, in stark contrast to stereotypical portrayals. Her later projects, including Here’s What the Japanese Flag Means to Me (2010) and Fences, Okinawa (2018), critique Japan’s marginalization of Okinawa and the psychological impact of U.S. bases.
Through intimate, unfiltered imagery, Ishikawa challenges power structures and amplifies voices often ignored. With exhibitions in Japan and internationally, her work stands as a fearless emblem of Okinawa’s complex history and ongoing resistance.
Mao Ishikawa at Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre opens on the 1st of May, 2025 until the 23rd of June, 2025 Mead Gallery
©2025 The Mead Gallery
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