Interview Atsuko Maeda x Nanao "Atsuko Maeda's Moon" Exhibition| "What am I?" A 1 year and 7 month photo that unravels human Atsuko Maeda

"Month Moon" started with a single DM.
Interact with human Atsuko Maeda and release the shutter.

The “Month” project began when photographer Nanao sent a DM from Instagram at the moment Atsuko Maeda announced his independence on December 22, 2020. "When Achan announced his independence, he said, 'I definitely want to shoot!' I thought I sent him a DM. Think about something in the future…It wasn't that, but I sent it with intuition. Then, I was followed by Instagram from Achan, and immediately after that I received a DM. "I can't believe it!" Of course, it was a big feeling, but on the other hand, "This may be allowed to shoot." I can't explain why I thought so well.…Originally, I was a fan of Achan for 13 years, so it's like a dream, but I'm thinking somewhere that it's going to match something. It was a feeling of excitement and calmness living together,” Nanao recalls the beginning of the moon moon.

From the full moon to the new moon, full and lacking, and full.…The rhythm of the moon, which looks a little different every day, synchronizes with the appearance of Atsuko Maeda, which is reflected in the moon moon. “I think the moon cycle is similar to human emotions. If you look at Achan for the past year and seven months, there are some smiles when it is full, and some looks a bit painful when it is missing. But that makes you very human,” says Nanao.

And the pain and the pain are not hidden.
The charm of Atsuko Maeda who has no lie

Shortly after the exchange at the DM, Atsuko Maeda and Nanao met at the cafe. We spoke openly about each other. "I don't really see DM, but I saw DM from Datchie for some reason. When I opened it, I received a very hot and straight message. I immediately looked at the homepage and thought, "It's nice" when I saw it. I was also attracted to the fact that many women were photographed. I love women's photos because I like them. “I wonder if I can take pictures like this too.” So I replied, 'Let's meet and talk to you,'" Mr. Maeda.

In this way, the filming of the Moon and Moon began in January 2021. At the "Month and Moon" exhibition, photos of one year and seven months are displayed on a monthly basis, and the impressive words that Mr. Maeda uttered at the time of shooting are also spelled out. "The concept of the exhibition is 'What am I?' 。 This is Achan's word that came out during the shooting in June 2022. When I listen to the story often, I say that there is a problem and conflict as a woman. She shows a really happy smile when she is happy, and when she is painful, she looks painful without hiding it. Now, it is a world where I think that something sparkling with a smile is good due to the influence of SNS, but I think that the painful part is also life, so I think that Achan who can go out of painful and painful places is really wonderful. The concept of "Month and Moon" is that I want you to feel the humanity of Achan who does not decorate like that. This exhibition is designed to relive a woman named Atsuko Maeda's 1 year and 7 months." Nanao said, "The music that is playing now is the playlist I made for this exhibition. The incense that wraps the venue is also my favorite scent that Achan is burning at home." Look at photos, touch words, listen to sounds, enjoy scents…When you spend time in the space of the moon and moon, you can feel that the five senses are gradually opening up.

"It's like my heart.
It’s clearly shown in the picture, right?”

When I asked what was the most favorite photo for photographer Nanao, I stopped in front of February 2022, the biggest photo at the exhibition hall. “At this time, she was a little tired.…。 I took it in Yotsuya in the evening, but the feeling of this sunset and the flare that came in by accident were very ephemeral, but very strong. At this time, I've been shooting Achan for a year and two months. I guess it was a picture that I took because it was a year and two months ago. If it wasn't "moon moon", I think it was a picture that I couldn't take."

——I want to be unserious. If only the actors do it, they will get stuck.

The word displayed next to the February 2022 photo that Nanao loved most. I asked Mr. Maeda about what kind of feeling it was taken. "At this time, I was very excited about my work. Even though it's winter. I'm not very well in the winter (laughs). In terms of work, it is a time to endure.…A photo taken when I felt a lot. At that time, the emotions of that time were cut off in Datchie's photo. There are many things that only me and Ducci can understand, but since they are talking about the feelings of that moment, something like my heart is in the picture very clearly."

Walk together as a woman
Atsuko Maeda's Growth Diary Taken by Photographer Nanao

"Before the first filming in January 2021, when we had tea together, Datchie told me that she was pregnant. "Yes!" That's where I started shooting (laughs). Every time I meet every month, Datchie's stomach grows bigger and bigger, and I was born in no time, I was allowed to hold her, and I met her husband.…。 I think he is a person who walks together as a woman. Even in the near moon, “Never stop filming!” I am very happy and remember that I took it with my big stomach. In October 2021, the photo was taken when I took my son to shoot and played sideways,” Maeda said. A 2021 photo shows Maeda, the mother of one child, staring at the camera with a gentle expression.

“My work and my private life are both the closest to me. I don't know myself well (laughs), but I take photos of things that can only be seen by Dutchie who sees nearby. Datchie on my side reflects me from an objective point of view. The photo of "Month and Moon" is also a growth diary, a proof that you lived. I would be happy if you could see Atsuko Maeda, a human being,” Mr. Maeda.