We Like Us
Chris Killip, Jim Mangan, Katsumi Watanabe, Karlheinz Weinberger and Frank in Rock’n’Roll
Nonaka-Hill Kyoto is pleased to present We Like Us, an exhibition running from April 12 to May 31, featuring the works of four photographers—Chris Killip, Jim Mangan, Katsumi Watanabe and Karlheinz Weinberger —alongside a found private photo-album titled Frank in Rock’n’Roll. Our exhibition is meant to coincide and harmonize with Kyotographie, Kyoto's annual international photography festival which, this year, takes the theme of Humanity. Please visit Kyotography.jp for more information.
Nonaka-Hill's exhibition’s title, We Like Us, gently echoes the shifting sensibilities around pronoun use in contemporary American English. While “We like ourselves” may be grammatically standard, the chosen phrasing carries a different tone—one of affirmation without self-consciousness: we are enough as we are. It captures something of the ethos found in these images—a collective sense of self, of belonging, and of quiet pride.
Across communities, there’s a familiar instinct to guard one’s own world, and to hold a wary distance from those beyond it. The artists in this exhibition have each turned their attention to individuals living in tension with mainstream society—those situated on its edges, left behind, or existing in close dialogue with unforgiving natural environments. With time, care, and quiet proximity, the photographers establish trust with their subjects, drawn to the specificity of their lifestyles, aesthetics, and expressions of self. What emerges are portraits of communities who have opened themselves to the camera—not for spectacle, but in quiet mutual recognition. These images reflect a form of closeness made possible by shared presence and sustained engagement.
The presence of the camera both observes and affirms. It draws forth an awareness of unity within these groups, even as it documents them. Through the lens, a quiet exchange comes into view—fragile and unfolding, shaped by tentative trust and a wish, perhaps, simply to be seen—without fear. This exhibition brings together Seacoal (1976–1984) by Chris Killip, The Crick by Jim Mangan, Shinjuku Guntoden (1965–1973) by Katsumi Watanabe, Halbstarke by Karlheinz Weinberger, and Frank’s photoalbum of the Yoyogi Park Rockabilly community. Together, these works demonstrate the power of photography to record distinct communities, foster empathy and mutual understanding across cultural boundaries, and preserve these moments for future generations.