Masako Kano
Bio
Masako Kano is a Japanese poet, photographer, translator, and documentary filmmaker. Born into a traditional family in Tokyo, she left Japan and an arranged marriage at the age of 21. She earned a Master of Arts in New York and, in 1980, met writer Richard Brautigan, whose work deeply influenced her poetry. Following her father’s death in 1982, she spent five years as a financial analyst at Motorola and, from 1988, worked for twelve years in London as Director of Capital Markets at Swiss Bank Corporation and NatWest. In Europe, she discovered her passion for contemporary photography and studied at Christie’s. In 2000, she moved to Buenos Aires, where she continued her photographic studies with Diego Ortiz Mugica and Piroska Csúri. In 2013, she returned to New York to complete her studies at the International Center of Photography. Since 2009, she has been an active member of the Friends of Villa Ocampo Association, serving as president from 2015 to 2017. She has produced documentaries focused on conservation and environmental issues and, since 2018, has been the principal translator of Japanese literature for El Caracol.
Statement
The Japanese word ningyō (人形) literally means "human form." However, its meaning transcends that of a simple doll. Its origins trace back to ancient ritual figures known as hitogata, used in Shintoism as symbolic substitutes for human beings to absorb impurities, protect life, and preserve spiritual memory.
Unlike the Spanish word muñeca—primarily associated with children's play—or the English doll (which also stems from the concept of a toy), the ningyō retains a sacred dimension in Japanese culture: it is an object capable of embodying presence, affection, and memory.
In these photographs, dolls, children, and religious figures engage in a silent dialogue. Each represents a different stage of human existence: innocence, learning, contemplation, and compassion. They appear not as individual portraits, but as metaphors for a shared memory that spans generations.
2.5 x 4m / 98.4 x 157 in
