Report on the Grand Prize Selection Open-Committee Meeting of New Cosmos of Photography 2009 (the 32nd competition)
Comments of judges
Adam Hosmer
Nanjo : "This work has a strikingly different image of the eyes that dominate most photographs. The impression is quite powerful, and the scratches on the faces produce a sensation of violence. I would have liked to have heard more about what he is attempting to find in his theme of scratching people who are so close and familiar to him."
Enomoto : "From afar these photos appear to be nothing more than everyday portraits, but as you move closer you notice that they have been mutilated by scratches. I find it compelling that the character of the work changes depending on the observer's viewing distance. These are photos I would rather view as prints than in a collected volume."
Misato Kuroda
Ninagawa : "I found these to be very upfront and honest photographs. I really sense almost firsthand the sentiment of what is adorable even in the clothes stripped from the subject. The work is totally in sync with the underlying concept of photography - of stopping a moment in time or preserving that which can be preserved only in photos. At the same time, I believe it is crucial to select works for an exhibition that resonate with many people and not for personal reasons alone."
Iizawa : "Kuroda has assembled this portfolio exquisitely and with great care. Although the photos seem to have been taken in a rough manner, I admire the way she has completely thought out how to make the most of each photo."
Masanao Sugiyama
Enomoto : "I was a little unnerved by this title, which seemed to be a parody of Kishin Shinoyama's famous work 'Olele Olala,' but I was convinced upon finding out he was with Shinoyama's office. I'm fascinated by how the camera as a tool is embedded in the media of the photograph, but this work attempts to portray the nature of communication exhaustively along the course of a journey using the camera as a tool. I think he did a good job."
Araki : "I liked the poses of himself captured in photos that celebrate life. I thought the presentation was even better than the exhibit. Photos that give a sense of the Earth's scale definitely get better when viewed on a bigger canvas."
Hitomi Takahashi
Iizawa : "The photos I choose are either works that I have an immediate visceral response to or works that have something ineffable in them that speaks to me. Takahashi's work is certainly in the latter camp. I have the sense that photographers today are a kind of shaman. But from Takahashi's act of creation I expect the emergence of a different logic in photography that breaks with the past."
Nanjo : "Visualizing the unseen, or else conveying the unseen, is what I believe is the true essence and spirit of art. I hope to hear more from this artist."
Makoto Yasumori
Araki : "There are many ways both to shoot and to view photographs today, but what I like about this work is that it confronts head-on the living and the continuity of life. These photos convey unpolished emotions . They portray, together with the author's feelings, human happiness, whether of the vibrancy of the women or of a bright future. For me, this is the most important thing today."
Ninagawa : "I think these are wonderful photos and I sense the joy of the photographer and the photographed. But considering the context of the New Cosmos of Photography exhibit, I wish the photographer had thought more about what new expression is."
