Motoyo Shiina (Motoyo Kawamura)
“ 1.1 ”
2004Co-Grand Prize
ARTIST STATEMENT
1.1
This work grapples with the idea of a pluralized “I”.
The main subjects are a girl and a woman (my younger sister). They are depicted against various backdrops and in various scenes.
Another relationship exists that includes me, the photographer. Two people are in the photos, but there are three people present, counting the photographer, me. The boundary between the photographing side and the photographed side is enigmatic, and if I pay attention, I find myself, the photographer, drawn into the frame. Yet another person, named “I”, is present, observing the scene in its entirety.
Starting with an exploration of the smallest unit, the individual, the work develops into a trilogy by passing through the small society of the family to train its attention on the world outside the family. This collection 1.1 is the first part of the trilogy.
Note: The 1.1 trilogy is composed of 1.1 (2004), (3) (2005), and untitled (2010).
Selecting judge: Kevin Westenberg
I like this work best in this contest. The composition is carefully thought out with the arrangements of lines in length and breadth as well as the figures. This is a conceptual work, very different from my usual photos, and it is well expressed. The work is organized under her will as a photographer, and the level of perfection is high. It is so attractive as to excite viewers’ interest.
Selecting judge: Miwa Yanagi
It’s a good idea to provide both panels and a book for the presentation. Her theme is clear and stated powerfully. It looks striking among many works that are uncertain about their desires. While dealing with an introspective theme, she does not indulge herself in subjectivity. That must have resulted from her scrutiny of the theme.
PROFILE
Motoyo Shiina (Motoyo Kawamura)
Motoyo Shiina completed a Global Art Practice (GAP) course at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, and graduated from the Photography Department, Osaka University of Arts.
Based on everyday experiences, he creates works using photography, drawings, video, performance, and other genres. Working from the keywords “provisional” and “impromptu”, his recent installations have been made from masking tape and backing materials. His interests lie in the spaces between light and shadow and between two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality as well as the physicality present in of the act of drawing. After university, he worked for about 10 years before heading to New York to study. Following this experience, he entered graduate school in search of expressive forms other than photography and he continues to broaden the scope of his artistic expressions today.
His solo exhibitions include Skating Lines (soco1010, 2021) and White and Blue (Geidai Shokudo Showcase, 2021), and his group exhibitions include Memory of a Moment (Former Hirakushi Denchu Residence, 2020), the John Cage Musicircus workshop (CND, Paris, 2019), green planet (Toride ArtPath, 2019), A Section of Consciousness (Yoyogi Art Gallery, 2017), and New Cosmos of Photography Exhibition (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, 2004 – 2005).
2004Co-Grand Prize