Description

Jacob Aue Sobol first arrived in Tokyo in the Spring of 2006 with his girlfriend Sara, who had just got a job there. Initially, he felt invisible. “Each day I would walk the streets without anyone making eye contact with me. Everyone seemed to be heading somewhere – it was as if they had no need of communication.” But though the city seemed unreachable, he felt drawn to the tightly packed metropolis. He knew he had to overcome his intense feelings of isolation and loneliness, and so he began taking his pocket camera out him on the streets and in the parks. The pictures in this series are a recording of what he saw and the people he met during those 18 months.

I believe it is when pictures are unconsidered and irrational that they come to life; that they evolve from showing to being

Jacob Aue Sobol
© Jacob Aue Sobol | Magnum Photos

Jacob Aue Sobol was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1976. He lived in Canada from 1994-95 and Greenland from 2000-2002. After studying at the European Film College, Aue Sobol was admitted to Fatamorgana, the Danish School of Documentary and Art Photography in 1998. There he developed a unique, expressive style of black-and-white photography, which he has since refined and further developed.

Aue Sobol is known for his unique, expressive style of black-and-white photography, which focuses on the universality of human emotion and the search for love within oftentimes harsh surroundings. He has made significant work in Tokyo, China, Greenland, Guatemala and along the Trans-Siberian railway. Aue Sobol became a member of Magnum Photos in 2012.

© Jacob Aue Sobol | Magnum Photos

Get Magnum news and updates directly to your inbox

Stay in touch
Monthly updates on the latest assignments, photographer projects and collaborations with brands.
Know when our quarterly 7-day square print sale is coming.
Learn about online and offline exhibitions, photography fairs, gallery events, plus fine print news and activities, on a monthly basis.
Get fortnightly tips and advice articles, find out about the latest workshops, free online events and on-demand courses.
Be the first to know about recent Magnum Shop drops. From new books and limited editions, to special offers, you can find it all on the weekly Magnum Shop newsletter.
Stay up to date every Thursday with Magnum photographers’ activities, new work, stories published on the Magnum website, and the latest offerings from our shop.