Photographer David Abrahams captures quiet moments in Japan for his new London show
‘Kyushu’ is a new show from photographer David Abrahams that documents his trip to a town on the Japanese island

London-based photographer David Abrahams is best known for his atmospheric shots for glossy editorials and major brands, but for his first UK solo exhibition, he is showcasing a more personal and meditative collection of work.
‘Kyushu’, at Have a Butchers in east London from 31 August, is a collection of photographs that Abrahams took while visiting the coastal city of Karatsu on Kyushu, Japan’s most southerly island.
The images capture details that might otherwise be overlooked – a shop window, the hood of a car, an illuminated sign – and elevate them to works of art. Captured with Abrahams’ signature dreamy lighting, the ‘Kyushu’ images exude a hallucinatory, almost melancholic air.
‘There is a strong sense of observation from a space of isolation,’ Abrahams said of the collection, ‘and as such these images take on a sort of voyeuristic, solitary approach. As a photographer, there is always an intention: when you frame something it's always about what you are trying to show or depict. There’s a fine line between documenting, idealising and culturally appropriating the place you have photographed.’
Abrahams printed the 60 previously unpublished images at his north London darkroom, which gave him the freedom to explore a range of hues and expressive tones, emphasising some colours by printing the image five or six times before finishing it.
‘It’s been nice to return to the moments I cherished while travelling,’ says Abrahams, ‘and have the time and space to look at it almost as a distant memory or a dream. Taking out the original context, and exploring the images I was naturally drawn to.’
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Mary Cleary is a writer based in London and New York. Previously beauty & grooming editor at Wallpaper*, she is now a contributing editor, alongside writing for various publications on all aspects of culture.
-
Robert De Niro is creating an island paradise. We eavesdropped on a design meeting
With The Beach Club, a private community on the Caribbean island of Barbuda, the actor is steering away from 'chandeliers and endless marble'
-
Remembering X-girl’s notorious 1994 fashion show, which starred a pre-fame Chloë Sevigny
A new book by Angela Hill, ‘X-girl Show’ – featuring an introduction by Chloë Sevigny – documents the cult label’s renegade 1990s fashion show, which took place in New York and captured a changing underground look
-
How to spot a fake Lamborghini: inside the sports car manufacturer’s Polo Storico division
Fake or fortune? We talk to the team of Lamborghini experts who can spot a priceless classic from a phoney
-
Leila Bartell’s cloudscapes are breezily distorted, a response to an evermore digital world
‘Memory Fields’ is the London-based artist’s solo exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery (until 25 July 2025)
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out area
New for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
Emerging artist Kasia Wozniak’s traditional photography techniques make for ethereal images
Wozniak’s photographs, taken with a 19th-century Gandolfi camera, are currently on show at Incubator, London
-
Vincent Van Gogh and Anselm Kiefer are in rich and intimate dialogue at the Royal Academy of Arts
German artist Anselm Kiefer has paid tribute to Van Gogh throughout his career. When their work is viewed together, a rich relationship is revealed
-
Alice Adams, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse delve into art’s ‘uckiness’ at The Courtauld
New exhibition ‘Abstract Erotic’ (until 14 September 2025) sees artists experiment with the grotesque
-
Get lost in Megan Rooney’s abstract, emotional paintings
The artist finds worlds in yellow and blue at Thaddaeus Ropac London
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
It was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
London calling! Artists celebrate the city at Saatchi Yates
London has long been an inspiration for both superstar artists and newer talent. Saatchi Yates gathers some of the best