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In the late 1990s, Tomoko Sawada attracted attention for her ID 400 series of photo-booth self-portraits, begun while she was still in art school. Since that time, she has become one of Japan's most frequently exhibited artists, and has continued to use herself as her sole model. Sawada's recent series School Days mimics the familiar format of the Japanese class portrait, which is taken twice a year, at the time of the summer and winter change of school uniforms.

Sawada's work is on display at Heavy Light: Recent Photography and Video from Japan, on view from Friday, May 16th through Sunday, September 7th at the International Center of Photography. Read our listing for more information.

Tomoko Sawada, From the series "School Days," 2004, © Tomoko Sawada, Courtesy of MEM Inc. and Zabriskie Gallery