The International Center of Photography (ICP) will honor internationally acclaimed Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi at its 2026 Spotlights Benefit on Wednesday, December 9, in New York City. Known for her poetic exploration of everyday life, memory, and the natural world, Kawauchi has helped shape contemporary photographic practice through her distinctive visual language. The annual benefit, which celebrates the achievements of women in photography, will coincide with Kawauchi's inclusion in I'm So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now, on view at ICP this fall.

Kawauchi will be in conversation with Lesley A. Martin, executive director of Printed Matter, who has collaborated with the artist on several of her acclaimed photobooks.

All proceeds from the Spotlights Benefit support ICP's Women Artists in Focus Fund, dedicated to amplifying the voices and vision of women and non-binary artists in photography. The Fund supports landmark exhibitions, commissions of new work, and public programs featuring women and non-binary artists at ICP. By contributing, supporters join a passionate community committed to keeping women's voices central to the stories photography tells.

The 2026 Spotlights Benefit is led by its co-chairs Almudena Legorreta, Pat Schoenfeld and Stefano Tonchi, with the support of its host committee members Deborah Brown, Charles Burdick, Kathy Chia, Bob Jeffrey, NowHere, Barry Munger, Jessica Nagle, Rebecca and Ken Nicholson, Lori Ordover, Monika Parekh, Marjorie and Jeffrey Rosen, Stephanie Shuman, Leslie Simitch, Amanda Taylor, Diane Tuft, Bettina Walton, Alice Sachs Zimet and Neal Zuckerman.

For more information about the event, including table and ticket inquiries, please contact the International Center of Photography by emailing events@icp.org.

Image courtesy of Rinko Kawauchi