Lieko Shiga makes intimate portraits, set among mystical landscapes and interiors, integrating her personal experiences with grander mythologies into surreal and fantastical images.

This volume focuses on her series Rasen Kaigan (Spiral Coast), 2008–12, photographs of the village of Kitakama in Japan before and after the devastating 2011 tsunami, capturing the spirit and history of the place and its people.

The Tate Photography Series is a celebration of photography by artists in the Tate collection, presenting the work of some of the most significant photographers in the world today. Each book features a specially selected sequence of images alongside an introduction and a conversation with or about each photographer’s practice. The unifying theme for this second group of titles in the series is Ecology and Environment.

Jessica Baxter is Assistant Curator, International Art, Tate.