Michael Magers is a documentary photographer and journalist who splits his time between New York City and Austin, Texas.  He is a frequent collaborator with the highly acclaimed team at Roads & Kingdoms and served as the lead photographer on their award-winning books, "Rice Noodle Fish”and "Grape Olive Pig” (as well as contributing to the 3rd book in the series "Pasta Pane Vino") published by Harper Collins/Anthony Bourdain. His images are exhibited both internationally and in the U.S. and have appeared in a wide range of digital and print publications including TIME, Smithsonian, Vogue Italia, British Journal of Photography, Huck, Outside, The California Sunday Magazine, CNN’s Explore Parts Unknown,  New York Times - T Magazine (via Instagram Takeover), The Guardian.com, and The Washington Post.   His first monograph, Independent Mysteries, was published by Hatje Cantz in late 2019.

Michael’s work documenting craftsmanship in Japan was named a 2016 Critical Mass Finalist and in 2019, he was shortlisted for the Hariban Award.

Selected Awards & Exhibitions

February 2022 - Takeami/Tagamono - Japanese Contemporary Craft, Les Ateliers Courbet, New York, New York


January 2022 - Independent Mysteries Solo Show, Kyotographie Delta Gallery, Kyoto, Japan


October 2021 - Jurors' Pick, LensCulture Street Photography Awards


July 2021 - Center Annual Exhibition, Houston Center For Photography, Houston, Texas


February 2020 - Independent Mysteries x Fotografiska NYC, Fotografiska Museum, New York New York


January 2020 - Irezumi:  The Art of the Japanese Traditional Tattoo, Fabrica de Arte Cubano (La Pared Negra), Havana, Cuba


December 2018 - Ichiren-Takusho - A Shared and Common Fate (celebrating Japanese Tattoo Artist Horiren 1st), Black Box Gallery, Osaka, and Le Deco Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

December 2016 - Slideshow Night, Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, California

September 2016 - Critical Mass 2016 Finalist - Shokunin: Japan's Vanishing Masters

June 2016 - Una Noche, Images of Cuba's New Musical Vanguard, Fabrica de Arte Cubano, Havana, Cuba

January 2016 - Joint exhibition with Japanese Shokunin NAKAGAWA Shuji, L'Esprit d'Artisan Gallery, Paris, France

January 2016 - Awakenings (ASMP Los Angeles Group Show), PhotoLA, Los Angeles, California

September 2015 - Ama: Japan's Aging Freedivers, The Ama Museum (permanent collection), Toba, Japan

August 2015 - Fossils of Light and Time, Juried Publication of the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography (Curated by Elizabeth Avedon)

May 2015 - Shokunin (Solo Show), Nagasaki Peace Museum, Nagasaki, Japan

April 2015 - Offerings (Group Show), Kyotographie, Kyoto, Japan

January 2015 - Margins (ASMP Los Angeles Group Show), PhotoLA, Los Angeles, California

May 2014 - Polish (Group Show), Rox Gallery, New York, New York

March 2014 - Sumo and Street - Images from Japan, Jay Kos, New York, New York

All images copyright Michael Magers.

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