Lena Fritsch is a German curator, researcher, and writer living in England
Episode 365: Dr. Lena Fritsch is the author of Ravens & Red Lipstick Japanese Photography Since 1945. She is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Ashmolean Museum.
She has written extensively on Japanese photography, and it was an absolute joy to speak with her about Red Raves & Red Lipstick and The Body as a Screen: Japanese Art Photography of the 1990s’ (2011). It was an incredibly illuminating conversation. I received her Thames & Hudson book on Post-War Japanese Photography. The book was published a few years ago, but I only recently received it. I came to Lena through my current obsession with Japan and its photobooks. Her book is a perfect overview of post-war photography in Japan and has added a brilliant layer to the historiography by providing English text.
The conversation covered several influential Japanese artists found in Dr. Fritsch’s books. I wanted to speak with her about her thoughts on several things. In particular, I wanted to ask about her position regarding the treatment of women in some Japanese works, notably Izima Kaoru’s Landscape with a Corpse. Please tune in to hear us discuss all of this and Lena’s fascinating background.
