Analogiesº1

Hello. It's me, Anne! Not Ann. Nor Anna. A-N-N-E.

Mar 24, 2024

The last time I wrote and published something online was 10 months ago. And before that, the last one was 16 months ago. It’s always been a trend for me to write again when there’s a new beginning, like the start of the spring, the new year, or right after having a good and long bath—just like today. I admit that I am guilty of having níngas kugon, a toxic trait of starting something and then leaving it unfinished.

But maybe this time’s different, so I am giving it another go. After all, I have more stories to say and insights to share. Which is why I’m so glad to be back on Substack, where I used to be in the first place. As much as I love keeping my portfolio on Squarespace, I might have to give it up soon. Its paid account has become quite pricey for me, especially since I am paying for ephemere.’s business account as well.

Most of all, I have missed writing so badly. Writing about my life, writing about my photos, writing about others’ photos, just writing about anything. Having a Close Friends feature on Instagram isn’t enough. Its entirety has been a tumbling weed nowadays and no one sees anyone’s posts anymore, anyway. Lately, though, Threads has been a good place to connect with passionate photographers. I just hope it remains non-toxic for a long while.

The Tokyo Filter

I’ll use this title for now, though its Instagram reference slightly irks me. I might go back to my previous titles, Monomania or Noir Myths, but I also feel like recycling titles is more irksome.

But anyway, what will I be writing about? Most likely a mixture of these three things:

The bulk of my blabbing here will be about ephemere. For those who do not know about it yet, it’s the main umbrella of all my photography-related projects. It is a physical space—a small gallery in West Tokyo. And it is also an indie press, where I help other photographers publish their books or zines. I work on ephemere. every day, and I learn a lot through working with different people. It would be fun to share with you some of the ups and downs of being an independent curator and publisher in Japan.
I will also be mentioning some life updates. In the last three years, I have been very private about my personal life and that will remain the same for now. But I also think that it is healthy for me to freely express myself through writing as it’s always been my first love. With this, I’ll /try to/ just focus on the good things. So from time to time, I’ll write about our out-of-Tokyo trips and milestones featuring our bébé neko, Kiki Superstar.
It is also important for me to share the in-betweens: the almost nonsense. I like writing about things that make me happy, like eating scrumptious grilled oysters when in Hiroshima, however insignificant it may be. Sometimes, it also helps to write about the things that irritate me, like not being able to see the last three seasons of The Office because it’s always NOT on Netflix Japan, and I am too lazy to stream it somewhere else and too scared to download it illegally.

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Everything is ephemere.

It’s only been eight months since I launched ephemere. online and six months since we opened our physical space, but I feel like I have been doing this for decades. To date, 800+ photographers have supported us through open-call submissions, group and solo exhibitions, and collective publications. And although numbers are superficial, I still think that it’s super amazing (!), especially since I started it from scratch. I’m proud of myself, but I still have a long, long, long way to go.

But I think I overdid it last year. Curating and producing one show and then one book after another took a toll on me just before the holidays. Participating in the Tokyo Art Book Fair was enjoyable, albeit immensely tiresome. Around the same time, my niece who used to help me with administrative duties told me she would prioritize her university. This was why since November, I’ve been handling everything by myself (with occasional help from my sister and nephew when I’m at the gallery). My husband is my constant moral supporter; he enables me to follow my creative endeavors, and even though his love language isn’t verbal, I know and feel that he’s very proud of me.

You see, managing ephemere.’s online presence is one big thing, but going to the gallery, doing book inventories, packing and mailing out orders, cleaning the floors, being there for exhibitions, talking to all the guests—all by myself—is another bigger thing. Sometimes, everything overwhelms me and I would question myself, “What the hell did I get myself into?” It also doesn’t help that I live two train transfers away (about one hour of commute, one way) because I have a medical condition where I shouldn’t stand or sit for too long or my legs will start to swell. This was the primary reason why I changed the operating days of the gallery from six days (Thursdays to Tuesdays) to three days (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) only. This way, I’d have more time to work at home and focus on making books as well.

Doing a project like ephemere. is like having a vice. A soothing, soul-refreshing vice. It’s time-consuming, but it’s also rewarding. Selecting pictures and sequencing them can be mind-boggling, but it’s also fulfilling. More importantly, it is all kinds of motivating. I get the most thoughtful messages from photographers living in cities I haven’t been to. I receive the most inspiring project proposals that deserve to be seen by more people. Through these, all the overwhelming emotions and anxieties are replaced with more fuel to keep me keep on going.

And so after literally resting my body and mind throughout December, I launched another open call in mid-January, the fourth one, and decided to do it a little differently from the first three. I wasn’t expecting to receive a lot of submissions for the exhibition since I required physical prints to be sent to the gallery’s address. Surprisingly, more than 50 photographers sent theirs! And I’m very excited to open everyone’s letter in the next couple of weeks. This brings me to…

Familiar Strangers

Familiar Strangers is my newest (solo) curation for ephemere. since last October’s Anarchyº1. I am almost done with the design and layout of the Familiar Strangers printed publication, and it is scheduled to launch on April 20—along with the exhibition’s opening. I’m quite excited about this, and I hope that all the Tokyo-based participants will be able to visit and enjoy all the stunning portraits.

If you are visiting Tokyo on the dates below, please drop by and say hi!

Moreover, the recently concluded solo shows of Mário Pires (Portugal) and Trey Derbes (USA) were a blast! Although Mário couldn’t visit Tokyo, it was a pleasure to help him realize his dream of having a show in Tokyo, and it also felt really good to re-open the gallery publicly after a two-month hibernation. It was awesome to finally meet Trey in the flesh; I’ve always looked up to him since Aik Beng Chia (Singapore) introduced me to Trey’s Tour Dogs, and it was so awesome to work and just chill with him and his friends while he was in town.

In a couple of weeks, another artist—this time from France—is visiting ephemere. for his solo show, Renaud Castaing. I’m very excited to hear his stories about the photographs that are included in his series, EDGE. I always refrain from asking too many questions via email and video meetings, because I’m saving them for when we meet in person.

To top things off, I am also currently talking with another curator/photographer who will be helping me with the fifth open call starting in May! We are still discussing the guidelines, and once everything is in place, I’ll post an early announcement in my next newsletter. Clue: sounds like one of Jake Peralta’s famous lines.

My Upcoming Book

It’s been really hard to take a closer look at my photographs because I’ve been spending hours and hours looking at other photographers’ works. But that’s a lame excuse, right? Last year, I released two personal works, Anatomiesº3 and Tadaima. I’m very happy that Tadaima has gotten good reviews from some peers, including Shunsuke-san of Japanese Avantgarde Books:

japaneseavantgardebooks

A post shared by @japaneseavantgardebooks

This year, I would love to come up with two titles again, although that would be stretching it too much. But anyway, the good news is that I’m already working on the first one right now. It’s going to be a photo book about…suspenseful music…street cats in Japan!

I’ve put this series aside so many times and now that we’re living with a cat at home, I have finally decided to celebrate the many furry creatures I’ve met through the years before meeting Kiki. All I can say is that it is going to be a pretty thick book… and that I’m really hoping that I can finish it by mid-May, as ephemere. is participating in Planet of Zines IV in Harajuku.

Before I end my post, I would like to say thank you for subscribing and for taking the time to read my thoughts. Please suggest other topics that I should write about, share interesting Substacks, and/or leave comments to brighten my day!

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