Mika Ninagawa (蜷川 実花, Ninagawa Mika; born October 18, 1972) is a Japanese photographer and director, known for her brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes.
Daughter of acclaimed theatre director Yukio Ninagawa, she first came to prominence in the late 1990s as part of Japan's 'Girly Photo' movement (in which amateurs took photos of daily objects). Her work was first exhibited outside Japan in 1997 at the Parisian concept store Colette (boutique), and in 2001 she received the 26th Kimura Ihei Award (Japan's most prestigious photography award).
In 2014, she was appointed as an executive board member of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2020.
Ninagawa has enjoyed significant commercial success in fashion and advertising. She made her debut as a full-length film director in 2007 with Sakuran. In September 2010, her music video for the AKB48 song "Heavy Rotation" was released. She directed the live action film adaptation of the manga Helter Skelter in 2012. In 2019, Ninagawa directed the film Ningen Shikkaku: Osamu Dazai and the three women, a biographical film about Osamu Dazai, starring Shun Oguri. The film remained in the top 5 at the box office in its first 2 weeks. In 2020, her web series directorial debut was with Netflix's Followers.
Alongside photographers like Hiromix and Yurie Nagashima they were important figures in a 90s photographic movement. This movement, influenced by cultural changes, point & shoot cameras, and 'Purikura' (Print Club) culture, featured Japanese teenagers, especially girls, creating a new visual style.
1996: Grand Prize, 9th Shashin Hitotsubo Ten
1996: New Cosmos of Photography Excellence Award, Canon
1998: Photo Encouragement Award, Konica
2001: The 26th Kimura Ihei Award, Asahi Shimbun Publishing Co.
2006: Ohara Museum of Art Prize
2012: Kaneto Shindo Award 2012
Shikao Suga's "Aitai" album cover and artist photo (2013)
Into Fiction/Reality, Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima, Japan, Apr 13 - May 26, 2019
Taichung World Flora Exposition, Taichung, Taiwan, Nov 03, 2018 - Apr 24, 2019
Hotel Anteroom Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, Jul 14, 2016 - Present
Mika Ninagawa: Self-image, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Jan 24 – May 10, 2015
Parco Factory, Shibuya Tokyo, Japan, March 20, 2008 - April 7, 2008
Sapporo Parco, Sapporo, Japan, April 25, 2008 - May 11, 2008