Swedish photographer Gerry Johansson’s evocatively stoic images of Tokyo/Ehime

Posing the question, "What is Japan today?” Swedish photographer Gerry Johansson trains his mechanical eye on the shifting urban topographies of the country. The photographs—resulting from different trips to Tokyo—frame sparse scenes devoid of people, a common theme in the renowned photographer’s previous perspectives of the modern city. This strand of street photography, perhaps tying back to the likes of Eugene Atget and Brassai, serves to bring forth the transformation of the city, focusing on its fabric. The bareness of the images is further intensified by the black-and-white medium of delivery. Johansson’s photographs are currently on display in a solo exhibition at the IBASHO gallery in Antwerp, Belgium, from January 18 – March 9, 2025.

In the showcase, he reproduces the city of Tokyo as a series of planes, turning "the city’s chaos into carefully composed scenes of stillness and abstract architectural harmony,” as the official release notes. While under Johansson’s gaze, Tokyo turns into a version of Flatland, the inclusion of the images he created during visits to Ehime examines the influence of traditional cultural symbols—particularly in relation to nature—on Japanese cities.

STIR approached the photographer to share insights into his interest in covering certain geographical regions in the precise, calm and almost sanitised way that is evident in the distinctly composed photographs. The photographer writes:

I have visited Tokyo several times and have always found the architecture interesting. Most buildings in Tokyo have a fairly short history because the city has been destroyed through earthquakes and fires and, not least, through new developments. Much of my [perspective] on the city is inspired by the movie ‘Solaris’ (1972) by Andrei Tarkovsky. In the science fiction film, there is a long dreamlike scene where two men are having a conversation while travelling in a vehicle high above the ground among skyscrapers. I have no idea what they were talking about.

I always felt that Tokyo was modern in a way that European cities will never be. But I can also imagine that Tokyo is now surpassed by many other Asian cities.

Much of my work in Tokyo is concentrated on modular constructions in the city. Very often, the square is used in various sizes, from a couple of centimetres to several metres. This creates confusion in two-dimensional images, which works against the usual experience of perspective.

This was probably a storefront, which I felt was secretive and sacred but not very inviting. The polished metal reflected the light beautifully, and I liked the design.

[I took this photograph] as a view from a railway station. It’s meant to be another picture of confusion. The lack of perspective makes you unsure of the scale of the cityscape.

While the images of Tokyo play with the idea of perspective, in this way skewing our notion of time, the images of Ehime bring to light how humans interact with nature (without the presence of humans). As the photographer has previously stated about this series, “During my four-week long stay in Ehime, I had experienced some completely different and much more traditional aspects of Japan. It was, above all else, interesting to see how the symbols of traditional culture and respect for nature live in modern society.”

I enjoyed the pragmatic approach to nature and culture in Japan. When I exhibited the pictures in Japan, I was told that the inscription on the pillar said that the place was dedicated to a sea god.

Squids hanging to dry. I understand that they are dried and ground and used in cooking. Slightly absurd and live-looking when they were moving slowly in the breeze

Of his photographs, Johansson is previously quoted as having said, “Only through a precise, structured, conceptual approach can photographs serve to create a visual language that can be read, understood and used to communicate by all.”