Ok, that’s not the latest news, since the award has been already given to Cozue Takagi in March, but since hasn’t been much reported outside Japan yet…

The young women photographer  (born 1985) was awarded the Kimura Ihei Commemorative Photography Award for her two photo books “MID” and “GROUND” and a solo exhibition at TARO NASU gallery.

This award is given to new photographers who achieve outstanding results in creating photos and presentation activities. Because it is the most prestigious award of its kind, it is also referred to as the Akutagawa Award of the photography world. Previous recipients include Mika Ninagawa, Rinko Kawauchi, Taiji Matsue, Masafumi Sanai, Tomoko Sawada, Ryûdai Takano and Lieko Shiga.

Kotaro Iizawa writes about Cozue Takagi’s series “MID”:

The “MID” series is in front of us now. At one time it was called “Mother”. So this group of images which at the first glance seems multifarious, randomly picked and scattered out may, for Cozue, be the “mother”. (…) We should be able to put the complex structure of Cozue´s photographic work into focus.
But this effort quickly gets caught in a labyrinth and arrives at a dead end. The information we’re given is too fragmented. (…)
What is “MID”? It means the midway of something. The midway of what? Cozue immediately replies: “The midway between life and death.”
[Quote: Kotaro Iizawa, in “MID”]

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While “MID” consists of straight photography “GROUND” contains digitally created photo collages (some of them measuring around 3m).

The collages were created by layering images using a computer for to make visible the intricate illusion that weaves reality and fiction together.
[Quote: Tokyo Art Beat]

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Both books “GROUND” and “MID” were published 2009 by Akaaka Art Publishing.