Report on the Grand Prize Selection Open-Committee Meeting of New Cosmos of Photography 2006 (the 29th competition)
Comments of judges
Mika Kitamura + Yuki Watanabe
Iizawa : “When looking at the pictures, first I thought they were ordinary photos of girls taking pictures of each other. But, the atmosphere of the two in the flow of time is very impressive. The work seems to have returned to the starting point of photography rather than to be new in its expression.”
Araki : “I think there is something in both of them that she never shows to the other, or never lets the other photo . I like the work because such a peculiarity among women is vividly expressed.”
Asako Shimizu
Nanjo : “Above all, the image is striking. It makes us wonder what it is, and that attracts our attention. It is said that where there are no surprises there is nothing to move us, and what is important is to be able to photograph the subject as such, and to be able to find such a subject, I think.”
Iizawa : “When photographers make works based on their concerns about the earth or the environment, the works tend to be
generic, and specific features are left out. This work too reflects that aspect to some extent, but it is
enjoyable to look at.”
Kozue Takagi
Iizawa : “Most of all, it is an interesting work. The concept is clear. It really stirs my imagination in different ways every time I look at it.
Boris Mikhailov : “I first thought they were ordinary portraits of twins. I was very impressed when I learned that they were a single person. It is really the kind of work photography should create.”
Palla
Boris Mikhailov : “First of all, it is fantastic that he completed such a large work. What is photographed is the process by which photography is transformed into art. I see graphic elements of photography.”
Moriyama : “I have a feeling that I’m looking at a city’s “radiograph,” or peeping into a city somewhere in my body. It made me feel that there is a city somewhere in my body, and it is collapsing in a subtle way.”
* Moriyama’s comments were given at the preliminary meeting.
Izumi Yamada
Araki: “This work looks like a picture of a deceased, or it has the smell of death. That is Eros, because Eros and Thanatos are mixed. A good photo makes us wonder if the subject is a dead person.”
Iizawa: “It is difficult as a viewer to get into the world of this work. It is extraordinary that it can make us so frightened.”
Yoshinori Henguchi
Hibino : “The way he cut out photos, composed a book, and made a package, as well as the existence of an object … everything is consistent. What is more, the choice of wording is in conformity with the photos. I just want to add that he might get into the danger of making it difficult for him to communicate what he wants to convey, if he takes things too seriously and makes a work too abstract like symbols. It might be good to try something outrageous at times.”
Iizawa : “In Japan, the combination of words and photos has been underestimated so far, so I want him to keep it up. For instance, what about making the poetry composed into rap and performing it. It might be necessary to act that far.”
