Rinko Kawauchi (b. 1972, Shiga) is a renowned photographer who lives and works in Chiba, Japan. She studied photography and graphic design at Seian Women’s College (now Seian University of Art and Design) and graduated in 1993.

Known for capturing the “poetry of everyday life,” Kawauchi’s work transforms the most quotidian subjects into sublime images that reveal the ephemeral, fragile, and even sinister nature of the everyday. Her photographs are characterized by soft hues and luminous light, subtly narrating overlooked moments of daily life while expressing the delicate yet enduring connection between individuals and the world. As a sensitive observer, she weaves a philosophical reflection on life through her evocative imagery.

Her lyrical images do not exist in isolation but are carefully edited into sequences, most often presented in her photobooks. Her triple debut in 2001—Utatane (Catnap), Hanabi (Fireworks), and Hanako—was met with critical acclaim. Since then, she has published more than a dozen photobooks, among the most recent being M/E and Inhabiting Light.

Kawauchi has held numerous solo exhibitions in Japan and internationally. Major solo exhibitions include presentations at Fotografiska, Stockholm; Tallinn; Berlin; and Shanghai (2024–2025); the Shiga Museum of Art (2022, 2023); the Minneapolis Institute of Art (2014); Aperture Gallery, New York (2013); the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (2012); the ARGOS Centre for Art and Media, Brussels (2010); the Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg (2007); The Photographers’ Gallery, London (2006); and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris (2005).

Her work has also been featured in major biennales and institutional exhibitions, including the Daegu Photo Biennale, Korea (2025); Tokyo National Museum (2024); Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne (2023); The National Art Center, Tokyo (2020); National Portrait Gallery, London (2018); the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2017); the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2016); The Getty Center, Los Angeles (2015); and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2015).

Kawauchi’s work is held in numerous major public collections worldwide, including the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum; the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Shizuoka; the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa; the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi; the Shiga Museum of Art, Shiga; the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto; the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris; the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Huis Marseille, Amsterdam; and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Regarded as a leading figure in contemporary Asian photography, Kawauchi is a recipient of the prestigious Infinity Award (2009) from New York’s International Center of Photography in the category of Art. In 2023, she was further honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award, recognizing her sustained influence on the field.