STUDIO VOICE – THE PRESENT STATE OF PHOTOBOOKS

STUDIO VOICE VOL. 198 – “THE PRESENT STATE OF PHOTOBOOKS”

Publisher: Infas Publications
Published: June 1992
Format: Magazine
Language: Japanese
Condition: Very Good

STUDIO VOICE is one of Japan’s most iconic and influential pop culture magazines—a sharp, genre-defying publication that captured the pulse of underground and alternative culture from the late 1970s through the early 2000s. Launched in 1976 by Infas Publications, it quickly became a platform for new voices and radical ideas, blending art, music, fashion, film, literature, and street culture in a way few magazines dared. With its bold layouts, experimental editorial tone, and fearless curiosity, STUDIO VOICE became Japan’s answer to The Face and i-D, while developing a distinctly Japanese lens on global youth culture.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, STUDIO VOICE not only chronicled what was happening in the world of culture—it helped shape it. It introduced readers to emerging subcultures, underground movements, and international creatives long before they went mainstream. Whether exploring post-punk Tokyo, avant-garde cinema, or transnational club scenes, the magazine served as a cultural compass for generations of artists, designers, and iconoclasts. It’s more than a magazine—it’s a time capsule of creative rebellion and a key text in the visual and intellectual history of modern Japan.

The June 1992 issue (Vol. 198) takes a close look at how photobooks were being made, viewed, and discussed at the time. It features 180 photobooks selected by 70 different commentators, combining personal recommendations with essays and interviews. A highlight of the issue is a conversation between Nobuyoshi Araki and Jim Jarmusch, discussing the power of photography and the connections between images and storytelling. The issue captures a moment when the photobook was becoming an important part of visual culture in Japan and beyond.