PROFILE

Mariko Tagashira was born in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. After working as the exclusive photographer on the cruise ship Asuka, she met photographer Yoshihiro Tachiki and entered the Department of Photography at Tokyo Polytechnic University. She became an independent freelance photographer in 2006 and did corporate advertising photography for Japan Post and other companies, as well as promotional photography for executives and young politicians.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, she visited the affected areas immediately after the disaster. Moved by the people who lived strongly despite the harsh circumstances, she decided to commit her life to pursuing and expressing the energy that comes from fighting difficulties. In 2017, Ms. Tagashira learned about the White Hand Chorus, founded in Japan by soprano Erika Colon, and inspired by working with children with hearing and visual impairments, began working on the production of "Dai-ninth no Kiseki. Ms. Tagashirareceived the 1st SDG’s Iwasa Award.
The Beethoven House 2023-24 annual program used her "The Ninth Sequence" series as its main visual. This is the first time a Japanese photographer's work has been used.