PRESENTATION
The title “Fifteen Minutes of Fame” is well known as the words of Andy Warhol. It means anyone can become famous for fifteen minutes. Conversely, it implies that anyone or anything can be forgotten in a matter of fifteen minutes. When I tried to catch the meaning of this phrase, “a short life” made the most sense to me.
The works I submitted this time were from the stock of photos I have taken ever since I first bought a camera. At the beginning of this year, I reviewed all the photos I had taken so far and found many of the objects having something in common: objects that have no life like artificial flowers, things that are confined like fish in a water tank, and things that are trapped by something else.
Looking back at myself of those days, I knew I was trapped by two “fears.”
First, I was baffled by the symbolized concept of “woman.”
Second, I had the experience of seeing my ordinary daily life turn into the world of death.
At that time, I noticed my taking photos might have some cathartic effects, like those experienced when I shed tears by viewing sad movies or when sad feelings are countered by doing something positive.
I think I have been trying to free myself from uneasiness beyond verbalization, such as the fear of death, by superposing myself on things similar to me and visualizing them in photography.
Once I heard of someone’s photo in which something that must have existed there as the object eventually came to nothing. I had a similar experience: In spite of my wish to save it, I felt as if I might have brought the object back to the fearful box the moment I released the shutter. This obsession urged me all the more to go out to town to take pictures and update them with new ones.
By constantly releasing the shutter on sparkles of life that appear in short-lived scenery and momentary acts and by renewing them, I think I would be able to see greater, more powerful and more impressive expressions of vital energy.
I felt a kind of speediness in your works. By “speediness” I mean you see an object at first glance, photograph it quickly and move to the next. I also felt your very innocent, pure point of view, which was pleasing. While I felt some aspect of “being trapped” in your works as you mentioned in your presentation, I was rather more impressed by the speediness and your curiosity.
Selector’s Comment
Anna Dannemann
I’m very glad I could meet your works. The moment I looked at your works, I was enchanted by the colorfulness of the images. As I looked at the subjects repeatedly, I came to feel a cycle – or artificiality you might say – whereby new implications are produced. In this sense, I found your works superior as they well reflected new photographic techniques. In short, your works are worthy of looking at repeatedly. This is my conclusive impression.
In your presentation, you talked mainly of uncertainties and your attachment to objects that are trapped by something else. I was surprised at what you talked about because I initially expected your intention would be to express curiosity and artificiality.