The International Center of Photography in New York is presenting I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now from October 15, 2026, through January 11, 2027. The exhibition brings together twenty-eight artists across generations and expands the view of Japanese photographic history beyond a familiar handful of names.
A survey across forms and generations
ICP lists photography, installation, photobooks and printed matter among the exhibition’s forms. Participating artists include Ishiuchi Miyako, Kawauchi Rinko, Ishikawa Mao, Katayama Mari and Yamazawa Eiko. The curators are Pauline Vermare, Lesley A. Martin and Takeuchi Mariko.
According to ICP, the show follows earlier presentations in Europe and Japan and marks its first United States showing. The institution describes themes involving everyday life, women’s social roles and experiments with photographic form. This report is based on the organizers’ materials; it is not a first-person exhibition review.
The book offers another route into the subject
Aperture’s accompanying publication was released in 2024. Its product record identifies a 440-page hardback with 518 images. The book and the current installation are related presentations, but readers should not assume that their contents, scale or selection are identical.
For photographers planning a visit, a useful question is how the exhibition’s different formats affect the experience of an image. A wall print, a page and an installation can ask the viewer to move and look differently. That is a viewing prompt, rather than a claim about an installation we have personally inspected.
Check the current visit information
Consult ICP’s exhibition and ticket information before traveling for opening hours, admission and any schedule changes. The featured image is Aperture’s book cover, reproduced to identify the publication; it does not depict the gallery installation.
For more exhibition coverage, see our reports on Paris Photo 2026 and the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in Berlin. Exhibition dates and publication details checked October 31, 2026.
Sources and further reading
Book-cover product image: Aperture, I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now (2024). Reproduced to identify the publication accompanying the exhibition; not an installation photograph. Source: https://store.aperture.org/products/im-so-happy-you-are-here-japanese-women-photographers-from-the-1950s-to-now .
