Talk Event “Local First: Photobook Making as Cultural Practice in Myanmar” Lukas Birk

Date & Time: Sunday, December 14, 2025 13:15-14:15 (Reception opens at 13:00)
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo / EVENT SPACE (1F / next to the museum shop)
Admission: Free (a TABF admission ticket valid on the day of the event is required)
Language: Japanese, English [Interpreter: Satoko Yokoyama]

Speaker: Lukas Birk (Myanmar Photo Archive, Fraglich Publishing)

This talk, led by Lukas Birk—founder of the Myanmar Photo Archive, Fraglich Publishing, among others—examines the potential of localised book production, with a particular focus on Myanmar and the work of the Myanmar Photo Archive. Rather than treating photobooks as objects created primarily for an international art market, the discussion highlights how small-scale local printing can build audiences, stimulate economies, and anchor publications within the communities from which their stories originate. By producing books locally, knowledge and skills circulate in the community, and the publications themselves become living archives rather than distant artefacts.
This approach challenges conventional pathways of photobook distribution by insisting that the first audience should be local readers. Once rooted in place, the books gain strength and authenticity before entering global circulation. Drawing on experiences in Myanmar as well as conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Kurdistan, the talk considers how photobooks can serve as vehicles for memory, cultural continuity, and economic empowerment when produced locally.

Event reservation: https://peatix.com/event/4637077/view
(You will be redirected to an external site)
*As seating is limited, we recommend making a reservation in advance.
*On-site registration will be available on the day of the event, subject to seat availability.

Lukas Birk
Lukas Birk is an Austrian photographer, researcher, and publisher focused on visual archives and narrative reconstruction. He founded the Myanmar Photo Archive and Afghan Box Camera Project, documenting overlooked histories through books, exhibitions, and films. His projects often arise from research in conflict zones, blending fact and fiction to challenge dominant narratives. He co-founded the Austro Sino Arts Program and SewonArtSpace, and runs Fraglich Publishing and the Instant Box Camera project. A Fulbright Fellow, Birk studied in London and Rhode Island, and has received awards from the British Library and EU. He also hosts The Photo Vault podcast.

Web: (Fraglich Publishing) https://www.fraglich.com

(Myanmar Photo Archive) https://www.myanmarphotoarchive.org

(Lukas Birk) https://www.lukasbirk.com/