ARTIST STATEMENT

TSURU

Grandma Tsuru’s life has been one of trial and tribulation. Her love of gambling has been responsible for a lot of family drama. She had a falling out with her own daughter. And then grandpa died. Still, I love grandma Tsuru.
One day I turned my camera toward grandma and discovered a big smiling face in my viewfinder. It was so striking that from that day I became wonderfully obsessed with the person I saw through my lens. We went together to all sorts of places. All I wanted to do was take pictures. She radiated irresistible charm. She radiated kindness. Grandma Tsuru just lives life as it comes. Photographing her made me realize that the world isn’t all trouble and hardship.
Perhaps for me photography means forming a bond with the self and the subject, it means being able to look at the self objectively. A photo’s meaning is hard to pin down because it’s a living thing.
A photo makes a different impression on the photographer and the viewer - a photo takes on a life of its own. Still, while it’s all well and good to muse about a photo as a living thing, about objectivity, in the end photography for me is worthwhile as long as it is enjoyable.

Entries form: Photo collection, 43 A3 size photographs