Tsuyoshi Kaneda
“ M ”
2020Grand Prize
ARTIST STATEMENT
M
After the invention of photography in the 19th century, astronomical research made rapid progress. This is because astronomers, using photographs, could gaze at stars as if in their hands.
I can't help feeling this was the realization of a long cherished desire of astronomers. I produced this work as a way of expressing the benefits photography brought to astronomy by tracing the path of the fictional astronomer M. I assembled the images based on the historical context and vestiges of bygone astronomical observations – specifically the equipment and dry plates used in the day – and I pieced together a fictional narrative, mixing in the observation field and the heavenly bodies M had observed in the past.
The curiosity astronomers had about space that is preserved in photographs has been passed down to us today as a gift of knowledge.
Entries form: Twenty-two still images
Selecting judge: Mikiya Takimoto
The work expresses its theme of astronomical objects by following a fictitious astronomer named M. The photographer has highly developed photo composition skills, and he maps out and produces his work down to the finest details. I like that he sticks to his own worldview and is not influenced by what is in vogue. I think this work deserves praise for its well-defined theme, the tasteful photographs, and the photographer’s own originality. That he has reached this level at only 23 is incredible, and he has a bright future ahead of him.
PROFILE
Tsuyoshi Kaneda
| 1997 | Born in the city of Niigata, Niigata Prefecture |
| 2020 | Graduated from the Department of Photography, Faculty of Arts, Tokyo Polytechnic University |
| 2020 | Enrolled in the Field of Photographic Media at the Tokyo Polytechnic University Graduate School of Arts |
2020Grand Prize