Literature

Kawada Kikuji's most famous series, The Last Cosmology was conceived during the last days of the Shōwa imperial reign in 1989. Kawada drew upon traditional divination practises, observing the skies for astrological insight into the future, and using recently developed photographic technology to record his results in these dramatic, unexpected images of the moon.

Kawada was particularly interested in engaging with abnormal and calamitous weather conditions which occurred during this period of heightened historical suspense, recording the impact of gales, cloud-patterns, electrical storms, and violent downpours on the night sky. Kawada's use of multiple exposures to document the passage of time through the changing faces of the moon illustrates both his technical acumen and his ongoing fascination with photography's capacity to capture traces of history.