Motoyuki Daifu: My Family Is a Pubis so I Cover It in Pretty Panties
Daifu's colorful and chaotic images of his own family life are an unfiltered record of love, friction and communal existence
In Japan, where family affairs are typically kept private, Motoyuki Daifu's (born 1985) photographs put forward a raw, unfiltered portrayal of family life. My Family Is a Pubis so I Cover It in Pretty Panties pushes against cultural norms, airing out what Daifu dubs ""dirty laundry,"" with no hesitation. In rejecting the sanitized and idealized images often populating family albums, he embraces the beautiful chaos of familial existence—its messiness, love, tension and intimacy—all unfolding in the tight quarters of his family home in suburban Yokohama. His images, spanning 13 years since 2005, observe his family with both proximity and distance, reflecting his own sense of detachment from them. In their vibrant, overflowing compositions, they suggest that to truly understand a family, one must embrace its chaos. The scattered objects, overlapping lives and unavoidable closeness all speak to the ways in which family shapes and consumes us.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Huck magazine
Sara Rosen
Crafted with the same love and care as a family photo album, Daifu’s monograph endears us to the discomforting realities of truth – within the disorder and alienation born of modern life, we must find a way to bridge the divide. For Daifu, it was photography, and his family accepted the camera’s unflinching eye in their midst, despite the fact they didn’t necessarily understand his intentions.
Hyperallergic
Daniel Larkin
"Vaginal Davis is queercore's fairy godmother."
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FORMAT: Hbk, 9 x 11 in. / 136 pgs. LIST PRICE: U.S. $60.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $85 GBP £48.00 ISBN: 9781947346116 PUBLISHER: Little Big Man Books AVAILABLE: 11/11/2025 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA UK EUR AU/NZ AFR ME
Motoyuki Daifu: My Family Is a Pubis so I Cover It in Pretty Panties
Published by Little Big Man Books.
Daifu's colorful and chaotic images of his own family life are an unfiltered record of love, friction and communal existence
In Japan, where family affairs are typically kept private, Motoyuki Daifu's (born 1985) photographs put forward a raw, unfiltered portrayal of family life. My Family Is a Pubis so I Cover It in Pretty Panties pushes against cultural norms, airing out what Daifu dubs ""dirty laundry,"" with no hesitation. In rejecting the sanitized and idealized images often populating family albums, he embraces the beautiful chaos of familial existence—its messiness, love, tension and intimacy—all unfolding in the tight quarters of his family home in suburban Yokohama. His images, spanning 13 years since 2005, observe his family with both proximity and distance, reflecting his own sense of detachment from them. In their vibrant, overflowing compositions, they suggest that to truly understand a family, one must embrace its chaos. The scattered objects, overlapping lives and unavoidable closeness all speak to the ways in which family shapes and consumes us.
