Cleaning by Kenya Hara

The art of cleaning, captured in beautiful photos and poetic texts.

Exploring the concept of cleaning as a “core value of societies around the globe”, the stunning, beautifully designed book Cleaning by Kenya Hara features a collection of thematic photos and poetic observations. Published by Lars Müller Publishers, the book is edited by acclaimed Japanese designer, bestselling author and curator Kenya Hara, who is also art director at renowned company Muji. The compact, portable book has 504 pages and 374 illustrations. The images depict the concept of cleaning in virtually all of its aspects, from washing, wiping and scrubbing to dusting, sweeping, clearing, and erasing – separated into different chapters. An inherent part of the everyday and of human nature, cleaning also expresses the ways we interact with our surroundings, whether it’s a home or a public space.

The book takes readers on a fascinating journey through the process cleaning in all of its different aspects, showcasing an array of methods of keeping the world both clean and orderly. Images depict things as different as the deep-clean of a ship to the sorting of toys by a child, the washing of traditional Persian carpets in a mountain river, or the raking of leaves in a park, thus presenting the familiar act of cleaning from different perspectives. Texts with a poetic soul give the photographs deeper layers, inviting readers to see this everyday process in a new way.

Designed by Kenya Hara and Takuya Seki, Cleaning features photographs by Yoshihiko Ueda and Taiki Fukao, and contributions by Kenya Hara, Takuya Seki, and Mariko Hara. At the end of the book, the Pleasant, Somehow essay appears in English as well as in more than 10 other languages. Photography by Yoshihiko Ueda, Taiki Fukao.