Poetry Lies in Portraits Printed on Leaves

Hiro Chiba, a graduate of Tokyo Zokei University, began her career as a furniture designer and cabinetmaker. Before long, however, she decided to return to university to specialise in arts bruts. Thus, the young woman embarked on a career in photography and used the chlorophyll technique (also known as anthotype) to create her portraits.

An entirely organic process

At first sight, her creations might just look like monochrome classics; however, they are in fact the result of a delicate process that takes several weeks and during which Chiba does not use any form of chemical. She prints her visions onto leaves gathered where the image was captured. She has received various awards for her work, notably the gold award at the 2nd TKO International Miniprint 2020, an international exhibition of miniature photos in Tokyo.

Hiro Chiba’s work can be found on her website and Instagram account.