In Conversation: John Sypal and Elliott Erwitt
In Conversation: John Sypal and Elliott Erwitt
October 13, 2025
New York City, USA 2000 © Elliott Erwitt/MAGNUM PHOTOS
In October, the Leica Gallery Tokyo Omotesando is presenting the exhibition In Conversation: A Photographic Dialogue Between John Sypal and Elliott Erwitt. Sypal reveals his view of street photography, focusing on the city of Tokyo and combining it with a unique flair for style, fashion and extraordinary people. This is complemented by Elliott Erwitt’s poetic street photography – mostly in black and white, and often featuring dogs.
John Sypal: “There are a number of obvious visual elements that the viewer will notice in my and Erwitt’s pictures: children, dogs and city life. However, the reaction I would like to see is to the smile we share for the world and for people. Even if the world is not perfect, both Erwitt and I have a soft spot for people. The beauty and humour of the world deserve to be documented and honoured.
Erwitt’s picture of the man with a bulldog on his lap is one of those rare images where you have to look twice. It’s an illustration of those visual “disturbances” that a camera can capture or can generate.
Because the Erwitt pieces that appear in the exhibition cover his whole career, I also dug into my archives. Even though most of the pictures I contributed were taken during the last two years, there were also a couple of older ones that were just calling out to be displayed.
So, for example, I rediscovered a picture shot about ten years ago: a Shiba Inu dog in the arms of a neighbour. I remember that I said hello, and then instinctively pressed the shutter release. It was a direct reaction to the moment. It was only later, when I looked at the contact sheet, that I realised how reminiscent of Erwitt’s masterpiece the photo was. I like how our combined pictures suggest that photography is an ongoing conversation in images, taking place across time.
I hope the viewer will recognise a shared optimism in relation to humanity (and dogs), as well as an appreciation for moments that, when captured in a photograph, are maybe even more interesting than they might have been in reality. We both feel drawn to authenticity, and share the belief that interesting photos don’t emerge from abstract ideas, but rather from interacting with the world and all its peculiarities and challenges. I think there is a place and a need for pictures that you can simply enjoy for what they are: concise visual poems of joy.”
John Sypal: “There are a number of obvious visual elements that the viewer will notice in my and Erwitt’s pictures: children, dogs and city life. However, the reaction I would like to see is to the smile we share for the world and for people. Even if the world is not perfect, both Erwitt and I have a soft spot for people. The beauty and humour of the world deserve to be documented and honoured.
Erwitt’s picture of the man with a bulldog on his lap is one of those rare images where you have to look twice. It’s an illustration of those visual “disturbances” that a camera can capture or can generate.
Because the Erwitt pieces that appear in the exhibition cover his whole career, I also dug into my archives. Even though most of the pictures I contributed were taken during the last two years, there were also a couple of older ones that were just calling out to be displayed.
So, for example, I rediscovered a picture shot about ten years ago: a Shiba Inu dog in the arms of a neighbour. I remember that I said hello, and then instinctively pressed the shutter release. It was a direct reaction to the moment. It was only later, when I looked at the contact sheet, that I realised how reminiscent of Erwitt’s masterpiece the photo was. I like how our combined pictures suggest that photography is an ongoing conversation in images, taking place across time.
I hope the viewer will recognise a shared optimism in relation to humanity (and dogs), as well as an appreciation for moments that, when captured in a photograph, are maybe even more interesting than they might have been in reality. We both feel drawn to authenticity, and share the belief that interesting photos don’t emerge from abstract ideas, but rather from interacting with the world and all its peculiarities and challenges. I think there is a place and a need for pictures that you can simply enjoy for what they are: concise visual poems of joy.”
Text: © John Sypal; Image: © Elliott Erwitt
In Conversation+-
The exhibition will be on view in December at the Leica Gallery Vienna.
John Sypal+-
Born in 1979 in Nebraska, USA, he began photographing in 2001. After moving to Japan in 2004, he began exhibiting regularly in Tokyo galleries. Since 2008, through Tokyo Camera Style, he has been introducing Japan’s photographic culture to a global audience. In 2010, he joined the artist-run Totem Pole Photo Gallery in Tokyo, where he works with traditional film and darkroom techniques and presents several solo exhibitions each year. His publications include five books of his own as well as numerous reviews of photobooks and exhibitions.
Elliott Erwitt+-
Born on July 26, 1928, in Paris, he spent his childhood in Milan until his family returned to Paris in 1938 and emigrated to the United States the following year. It was there that he discovered photography. Since 1953, he had been a member of the Magnum agency, serving several terms as its president. His work alternated between journalistic assignments and commercial photography, alongside a lifelong body of personal projects. In the 1970s, Erwitt turned increasingly to film, producing documentaries, and in the 1980s a series of television comedies. He lived in New York City. Elliott Erwitt passed away in New York in November 2023.
New York City, USA 2000 © Elliott Erwitt/MAGNUM PHOTOS