Mikiko Hara adopts a snapshot style to spontaneously capture candid portraits of her young contemporaries in the streets and subways of Tokyo. The anonymous passersby in her photographs become captivating subjects that appear frozen in a dreamlike world, suspended in time and detached from the chaos of the city that surrounds them. Identifying individuals or couples amid the throngs of Tokyoites, she captures furtive glances, contemplative expressions, and private gestures on public display. These scenes, portrayed in muted tones that Hara achieves through printing in a darkroom, convey an intimacy somewhat at odds with the open spaces in which they occur.
