Taro Masushio

An appearance:

“One shoulder was higher than the other, his smile was slightly askew, and the level of his blue eyes not quite the same. He was of moderate height, thin, carrying himself stiffly erect and walking with a peculiar jerky gait. He was afflicted with one deaf ear and a stammer that trembled his upper lip.”

—Martin Gardner

Taro Masushio, born in Japan, works and lives in New York City. Masushio received his BA from UC Berkeley and MFA from New York University and has taught at both institutions. Through bricolage techniques and experimental photography, Masushio challenges conventional notions of documentary truth and autobiographical narrative. His work demonstrates a tension between intuitive processes and formal experimentation, while investigating the erotic dimensions of photographic interpretation.

Solo exhibitions include: Naked, Scheusal, Berlin (2025); Pass, Empty Gallery, Hong Kong (2024); Drummer, BIS Center, Mönchengladbach (2023); Liar, Liar, Ulrik, New York (2023); and Rumor Has It, Empty Gallery, Hong Kong (2020). His work has also been featured in group exhibitions including: Greater New York, MoMA PS1, New York (2026); Formazione Di Forme curated by Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, Felix Gaudlitz, Vienna (2024); Forget Each Other In The Rivers And Lakes, Hordaland Kunstsenter, Bergen (2023); The Drifters, Duddell's, Hong Kong (2023); Dear Alien, Dear Doppelganger, The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, New York (2023); Jahresgaben 2021, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn (2021); Pastoral (Grind and Drone), 47 Canal, New York (2019); Scraggly Beard Grandpa, Capsule, Shanghai (2018); among others. Masushio was the 2022/23 City Artist in Residence at Internationales Atelier-stipendium Mönchengladbach. He is currently the Henry Wolf Chair in Photography at Cooper Union, New York.