Issei Suda / Mysteries in habitual activity

Redefining routine behind closed doors: a spotlight on Japanese photographer Issei Suda.

When the will, which has with such difficulty brought itself to subdue its impulse, to renounce its right to abandon itself to its own uncontrolled desires, and consequent sufferings, would fain cast its guiding reins into the hands of circumstances, laying alone absorbed in interminable games of patience, haunted dreams and irresistible eccentricities. A spotlight on Japanese photographer Issei Suda and his “Rubber” series.

After his studies at the Tokyo College of Photography in 1962, Issei Suda worked as a photographer for the Japanese independent theater troupe Tenjo Sajiki. The theatrical society asserted to showcase the secrecy to the everyday lives; a composition that stayed with him and was applied to all of his works thereafter.
His career found real grown as he went freelance in 1971, where he began to receive recognition for his work internationally. He has had over 75 exhibitions, which were primarily in Japan but, he can still be found all over the world. He was also featured in museums such as The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Here we focus mainly on his “Rubber” series, a collection of photos outside of the daily life he typically captures. His work has always conveyed a dark element, but this set is different due to it’s mysterious component: a lack of identity behind an erotic display. There are acts and attire that completely contrast from our day-to-day, but then again, what is defined as a regular routine behind closed doors?