Biography
Michael Magers is an American documentary photographer and journalist whose work explores the world of traditional craftspeople, food cultures, and the intimate textures of daily life in Japan and beyond. Born in Dallas in 1976, he stepped back from a corporate career in 2013 to pursue photography full time and is now based between New York City and Austin, Texas.
Magers is a frequent collaborator with the acclaimed team at Roads and Kingdoms, and served as lead photographer on their award-winning books Rice Noodle Fish and Grape Olive Pig, both published by Harper Collins under the Anthony Bourdain imprint. In 2019, he released his first monograph, Independent Mysteries, a selection of images from his years on the road. His photographs have appeared in TIME, Smithsonian, CNN, The Washington Post, Vogue Italia, and Huck magazine.
His photographic practice is grounded in immersive, long-term engagement with his subjects. His Shokunin series documents traditional Japanese craftspeople, including swordsmiths and coffee masters, with a reverence for skill and process that mirrors the ethos of the artisans themselves. His Ama-san series captures the female free divers of Toba, Japan, documenting a millennia-old practice through images of striking intimacy. His documentation of traditional Japanese tattooing, including his portraits of tebori artist Horiren the First, treats irezumi as a form of modern-day ukiyo-e, connecting contemporary bodily art to the Edo-period print tradition.
Magers has exhibited internationally, from Cuba to Japan, Paris to New York, and his limited-edition photographic prints are represented by Ronin Gallery in New York City. His work captures what he describes as split-second moments of emotion, connection, or absurdity, finding the extraordinary within the rhythms of ordinary life.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1976
- Nationality
- 🇺🇸United States
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Subjects
- Daily LifeAbstract
- Works Indexed
- 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Michael Magers is an American documentary photographer and journalist whose work explores the world of traditional craftspeople, food cultures, and the intimate textures of daily life in Japan and beyond. Born in Dallas in 1976, he stepped back from a corporate career in 2013 to pursue photography full time and is now based between New York City and Austin, Texas.
Michael Magers was active born in 1976. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
Michael Magers's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Michael Magers's prints frequently feature daily life, abstract.
Michael Magers is a gallery-represented printmaker whose work has been shown at established galleries specializing in contemporary Japanese prints. Gallery representation provides a consistent market. Prices range from $150 for smaller works to $3,000 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $300–$1000 range. Gallery representation provides curated exposure and supports steady demand.