ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
In 2010, Bob Tanabe, a building contractor clearing an apartment building for renovation, stumbled upon a treasure trove. 40 years of materials from the old Ninomiya studio that had been languishing and was about to be incinerated. Unsure what to do, but cognizant of the value of these photos, Tanabe posted an ad on Craigslist asking any interested parties to take the collection. Local assistant director/cameraman, Michael Risner, was intrigued by the ad and ended up picking up about half of the discovery which included approximately 100,000 negatives that were stuffed into garbage bags.
With time and a lot of hard work, the value of the collection was eventually recognized and has since found a home as part of the CSU Dominguez Hills Japanese American collections.
The Perfect Exposure Gallery has acquired and will put on display original hand colored prints and other highly valuable artifacts from the studio. “It is truly a trip back in time,” says gallery owner, Armando Arorizo. “You get a real sense of Little Tokyo in the 1940s and 50s as you visit this exhibit.”
On display for three weeks only, it is open to the general public at no cost.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
The Ninomiya Photograph Studio was founded by photographer, KINSO NINOMIYA in the 1920s in the thriving immigrant community of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. With the onset of World War II and the anti-Japanese sentiment in California, Ninomiya and his family were sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona. The studio was shuttered and soon disappeared, only to be restarted again upon Ninomiya’s return after the war. Family run, the studio managed to stayin business until the late 1980s.
ABOUT THE GALLERY
The Perfect Exposure Gallery is the recognized venue in Southern California to display the work of award winning and accomplished photojournalists as well as works of photographers that regard artistry and craftsmanship as a standard of excellence. The mission of the Perfect Exposure Gallery is to present exhibits free of charge to the general public with the following goals to exemplify the rich variety and impact of photography, freedom of expression, a forum for the aesthetic, the contemptible and the sublime.
Exhibition dates: Saturday 12, January 2019 to Thursday 31, January 2019
