Mayumi Hirata is a photographic artist.
She was born in Osaka, Japan and is now based in London.
After working as an editor, writer and photographer for Japanese magazines
(such as ELLE Japon and Figaro magazine), as well for travel guide books, she studied photography at the University of Westminster.
She undertakes studio portrait and project based work, as well as taking documentary commissions.
Biography
Born in Osaka, Japan, Mayumi studied fashion at Kansai Women’s Art College, where she self-taught photography. Her early works included documenting the Osaka underground punk scene and photos for record jackets for Alchemy Records.
She moved to London in 1989 to explore the roots of the original punks in London, whilst working at publishing companies and freelance as a writer/editor for Japanese ELLE, Figaro Japon and “Globe Trotter Guide Books – Chikyu No Arukikata”.
She decided to study further into the theory of photography and graduated with a BA from the University of Westminster in 2011. She now focuses on portraits and photographing musicians and other performers.
Mayumi also performs traditional Japanese taiko drumming, as a member of the Thames Taiko team, who have performed at venues raging from Trafalgar Square to the Japanese embassy in London.