In renowned photographer Takashi Homma's charming photo-zine This Is Not My Cat the cat in the title wanders, perches and lounges about in various spaces around a humble Tokyo apartment. It is perfectly tranquil in its surroundings, simply going about its daily life.
In one image, the cat lays serenely in the pot plants on the balcony, squinting in morning sunlight. In others, it balances precariously on the edge of the bath, snuggles beneath a sleeping bag, plays in a cardboard box, hides beneath an open umbrella. There is occasional evidence of the cat’s fellow inhabitant in the apartment – a man who happens to be Takashi Homma himself – referenced by a knee, a foot, a shock of blonde hair, half of a face, and even artefacts of his life and practice.
Much has been written about the unique atmosphere and energy of Takashi Homma’s pictures. His photographic mannerisms are so light, so subtly empathetic to his subjects, that we all but dissolve into the world he creates. The photographs you see and enjoy in This Is Not My Cat are unencumbered by a sense of fussiness or perfection – they are casual, diaristic, and quotidian and therein lies the joy of this master's work.
Nieves, 82pp, 11.2cm x 17.8cm, illustrated paperback, 2025
