Leica Gallery London, in collaboration with IBASHO Gallery Antwerp, is opening its doors to an evocative new exhibition titled Absentee by Japanese-born, UK-based artist Sayuri Ichida. The exhibition, launching on 17 January 2026, offers a deeply personal visual exploration of grief, memory and cultural displacement, running through to 19 March.
Ichida, who began her career in commercial photography after graduating from Tokyo Visual Arts College in 2006, transitioned to art photography following an MA in Photography Arts at the University of Westminster. Her photographic journey has taken her from Tokyo to New York and ultimately to London, where her creative focus now reflects introspective themes influenced by her own lived experiences.
The central series, Absentee, confronts themes of loss and mortality, particularly the enduring impact of her mother’s death during her adolescence. Revisiting grief intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ichida creates a quiet yet stirring dialogue between the body and the material world. Her photographs juxtapose the softness of her own form with stark everyday objects, symbolising the fluctuating states of vulnerability and resilience in the face of personal and collective anxiety.
Also on display are seven works from her series Ctrl Shift + J, which extend the thematic focus into the terrain of migration and identity. The title, a reference to a keyboard shortcut used when typing in Japanese, subtly underscores the duality of her cultural existence. These images interrogate the psychological dissonance experienced through repeated relocations, revealing a perpetual questioning of home and belonging.
Ichida’s work has garnered international recognition, with exhibitions at PhMuseum Lab in Bologna and IBASHO Gallery, as well as participation in major art fairs such as Paris Photo, Art Paris, and Unseen Amsterdam. Her photobook Absentee earned distinction as one of the ten best photobooks by the Prix Nadar Prize, while Ctrl Shift + J has been shortlisted for the Grand Prix Images Vevey and recognised by the Hariban Award.
Where to see the exhibition
- Artist: Sayuri Ichida
- Exhibitions featured: Absentee, Ctrl Shift + J
- Medium: Photography (self-portraits and object composition)
- Themes: Grief, memory, immigration, identity
- Total works: 25
- Duration: 17 January – 19 March 2026
- Location: Leica Gallery London
- Gallery Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00 (Thursdays until 19:00)
Price and Availability:
All 25 works featured in Absentee are available for purchase throughout the exhibition’s run.
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