Selecting judge: Noi Sawaragi

Today, nearly all photos are simply data by another name. Photos are already data before they become images. This means photos are not completely “photos” on their own and are quickly merging and melding with all the other data existing in the world outside of photography. How can artists access through photos in this aggregate of data? Markets and networks, on the other hand, work extremely efficiently with data. Conventional notions of works and expressions may, sadly, soon be drowned out in this data. In this work, the artist reveals the personal information and passwords surrounding bitcoin, despite its advances, and strives to establish a commonality inseparable from the viewer. At the same time, we viewers are swallowed by the artist's personal recollections surrounding photos. I rated this work highly for its skillful planning and powerful willpower to present this ambivalence with such audacity.