IZUMI MIYAZAKI // 'Bergonzo First Floor' Residency

In the contemporary landscape of artistic photography, Izumi Miyazaki stands as one of the most distinctive voices of her generation. With a visual approach that oscillates between the absurd and the poetic, this young Japanese creator has masterfully captured, through self-portraiture, a sharp exploration of identity, solitude, and the aesthetics of disorientation. Her work, marked by a refined sense of humor and meticulously orchestrated staging, invites us to question the very nature of the image in the digital age.

Texts & Content Curation by

Felipe Rodríguez - Mattern.

There's No Place Like Home is the third edition of the Bergonzo First Floor concept. Stéphanie and Renaud Bergonzo, who initially started as collectors driven by a deep passion for art, now embrace it as a way of life. Committed to fostering a space for expression and exchange, they have transformed their own living space into a platform for artistic dialogue.

Now, Izumi Miyazaki takes over the project, unveiling her polymorphic universe, where her striking photography merges with installations that are as playful as they are unsettling.

Miyazaki has crafted a universe where the ordinary transmutes into the extraordinary—where mundane elements, such as a floating plate of rice, a head seemingly duplicated, or an idyllic landscape disrupted by a disjointed presence, become symbols of an introspection that challenges the conventions of self-referential photography. Her mastery of composition and her distinctive use of color—evoking both advertising aesthetics and Japanese pop iconography—have captivated critics and audiences worldwide.

In this context, her artistic residency at Bergonzo First Floor in Paris marked a milestone in her creative evolution. The exhibition, which concluded on April 30, 2018, allowed Miyazaki to expand her visual language within an environment that fostered the fusion of Japanese aesthetic tradition with Western artistic sensibilities. Through a series of photographic self-portraits and installations, the artist delved deeper into the fragmentation of identity and the dissolution of boundaries between reality and fiction.

Critics enthusiastically embraced this project, highlighting her ability to subvert audience expectations with images that oscillate between irony and vulnerability. Her work at Bergonzo First Floor solidified her status as one of the most innovative artists in contemporary photography, showcasing her talent for transforming the personal into a universal discourse.

Beyond her unmistakable aesthetic, Izumi Miyazaki’s work transcends mere visual provocation, venturing into a realm where identity fragments and reconstructs itself as an enigma. In a world oversaturated with images, her art serves as a reminder that creativity remains a space for play, inquiry, and revelation.

Izumi Miyazaki was born in 1994 in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.