Dreams of Desire 27 (Super-imposed)

Untitled-Kansuke Yamamoto 1950

This arrestingly erotic image from the Japanese photographer Kansuke Yamamoto shows that, far from being a purely European movement, Surrealism had a truly global reach.

After an early expose to Dada and Surrealist ideas from the magazine ‘chine’,  Yamamoto published a magazine entitled Yoro no Funsui (The Night’s Fountain), where he provided texts, poems and photographs in 1938/1939. However when the Tokko (Japanese Special Police Force) expressed concerns regarding the subversive nature of its content, publication ceased. Yamamoto remained involved in the avant-garde during the 40’s and 50’s and show a genuine Surrealist commitment to non-conformity and rebellion.