The Journey of Mamoru Horiguchi, Photographer of Energy

A Photographer in Pursuit of Energy

Mamoru Horiguchi’s life has been a journey powered by energy. From cultural epicenters like New York, Milan, and Paris, he forged his path as a photographer while standing at the forefront of shifting times. Whether in advertising, fashion, or art photography, he fearlessly dove into foreign lands, undeterred by language barriers in search of creative freedom, continuously expressing himself through his lens. His unwavering drive radiates with a powerful energy that defines his work.

Drawn to that energy, extraordinary encounters naturally surrounded him wherever he went.

In the next issue, we will explore Horiguchi’s signature series "1/8th of an instant" and his work since relocating to Japan. The following issue will dive into "Smiling Baby", a project that could be considered the culmination of his photographic career. Stay tuned as we continue to trace the journey, and the future of photographer Mamoru Horiguchi.

48 Years in Photography.

20 Years Living Abroad as a Photographer.

(New York, Milan, Paris, Shanghai)

And I will continue to live as a photographer always!

Mamoru Horiguchi

■Career

https://mamoruh.com/about

Based in New York, Paris, Milan, Shanghai, and now Tokyo.

In 1978, Mamoru Horiguchi moved to the United States, where he worked as an assistant to renowned advertising photographers, including Les Goldberg. In 1984, he established the Mamoru Horiguchi Photo Studio in Manhattan, New York. He began his career as an art photographer with the globally acclaimed dancer photo series “1/8th of an instant”. He was one of twelve photographers, alongside Helmut Newton, to participate in the "Black, Round and Erotic" exhibition held throughout Asia. While focusing primarily on fashion photography, he has also captured portraits of notable figures such as Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, and Antonio Inoki. His artistic works continue to attract international attention through exhibitions and permanent collections in museums around the world.

Currently, Horiguchi is active across various genres, bringing a photographic artist’s perspective to fashion photography, athlete portraits, and corporate portraits. He also founded the NPO Project Smiling Baby, working to address global environmental issues by photographing the smiles of babies in poverty-stricken areas and disaster zones, such as those affected by the Tohoku Earthquake.現

■Series: “1/8th of an instant”

https://mamoruh.com/works/c/art-work

He began his career as a photographic artist with the dancer photo series “1/8th of an instant.”

“1/8th of an instant” captures dancers in motion using a slow shutter speed of 1/8 second. By intentionally leaving motion blur as an afterimage, the series powerfully expresses the physical energy and dynamism of the human body. The series was featured three times in "ZOOM", one of the world’s leading art magazines, and has been exhibited in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.

His works have been permanently archived in museums in the United States, Italy, and Belgium, as well as in Japan’s National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and the Kobe Fashion Museum.

■NPO Project Smiling Baby

https://smilingbaby.jp

A Movement to Spread Smiles Around the World Through the Smiles of Babies. Started in 2007, this project began when Horiguchi happened to photograph a smiling baby and felt a powerful energy, greater than that of dancers in that expression. Since then, he has continued capturing baby smiles as works of art. To date, he has photographed the smiles of over 4,700 babies. The project also supports impoverished communities abroad and areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and includes activities such as baby visits to senior care facilities.