Wataru Kikuchi

I am a photographer based in Tokyo, exploring the profound silence of solitude and the quiet resilience of the human spirit. My creative core is rooted in a personal tragedy—the loss of a family member to suicide during my childhood. This experience ignited a lifelong quest to find a form of "salvation" for the unnoticed loneliness that exists within our real world.

Through cinematic monochrome and evocative color, I project my unresolved emotions onto both my models and the chaotic urban landscapes of Shinjuku. My aesthetic is deeply influenced by the master of light and shadow, Shinya Takahashi, from whom I learned the art of cinematic storytelling and the delicate balance of atmosphere. For me, a portrait is a collaborative narrative. In my photobook project currently in progress, Life Is Still Beautiful, I weave the real-life perspectives and experiences of my models into the work, building a bridge between personal history and universal emotion.
Inspired by the atmospheric depth of literature and cinema, my photography serves as a vessel to confront the "unreachable happiness" and the sense of closure in modern life. While I capture the suffocating density of the city, I also seek a multi-dimensional truth by juxtaposing it w...

Active Member of Shinya Takahashi’s Photography Community.

Photobook Publication: "Life Is Still Beautiful" (In Progress)

Photobook Publication: "SEVEN"(June,2025)

Group Exhibition, Design Festa Gallery Harajuku, Tokyo, February 2025

Group Exhibition, Design Festa Gallery Harajuku, Tokyo, August 2024