The black ink completely envelops the entirety of the cover. There is a magic in the darkness.

There is no real “cover” to the photo collection titled TAXI DRIVER—instead it’s covered in scratches and scrapes (or, more accurately, they’re printed on). TAXI DRIVER is based on a handmade book produced by Koki Daido a number of years ago. As the book exchanged hands and was carried about, it naturally developed these scrapes and scratches and they were preserved for this edition of the book. 

Three years ago, Koki visited my studio with his older twin brother, Yuki, and showed me this handmade book. This was their first time meeting me and I can’t forget the surprise I felt when they arrived with a huge bag filled with their handmade photobooks which they’d brought from Kyoto where they’re based. They told me that they just like photobooks for some reason and, for some reason, ended up making a lot of them. I smiled, thinking that they were just like me.

Last December this photobook was properly published as TAXI DRIVER and I spent twenty minutes going through it, page by page, from cover to cover. There is a conversation between the Daido brothers at the end of the book where Koki says, “I suppose you could say there is no meaning [to the book’s title]”, but also goes on, “There are times when,  even though you’re listening to someone else’s directions, you’re the one with their hands on the wheel. This is a feeling that I thought was shared with a taxi driver.” To me, the black pages that appear throughout the book seem like the views of a town you’ve never been to, seen from the window of a taxi which you glimpse for a few seconds then proceed to forget soon after.

TAXI DRIVER by Koki Daido
Publisher: Daido Bro
Publishing House: Sakura no Hana Honpo

https://www.daidobro.com/