In dark, lust-filled, inquisitive photographs, Japanese artist Hideka Tonomura examines the question of love and its taboos and absurdities. Similar to previous photobooks by Tonomura on the topic of love, such as “mama love” and “die of love,” the photographs themselves become seemingly form part of the pictures. Tonomura’s exploration of love is tied to the medium in which she operates, with subjects posing and sometimes gazing straight at the camera, and though not strictly self-portraiture, with “Toxic” Tonomura also appears to explore her own self within the photographs. “It is my own choice to put my life on the line for photography. It’s not a path that someone else chose for me. It’s a path that I chose for myself. My photography is about constantly devoting my body and soul to “I” and “self” between “reality” and “actuality”, assimilating the reality right in front of me, and visualising the reality and actuality that cannot be seen. I believe in the philosophy of reality and actuality. It is my greatest wish that my philosophy will be able to touch the hearts of the people and accompany them in this world today and in the future. I am putting my life into how deep I can dive with my photography. It is the artist’s job to pursue the ideal.”