Report on Grand Prize Selection Open-Committee Meeting of New Cosmos of Photography 2009 (the 32nd competition)
Overview comments of judges
The five judges gave their thoughts on the event after the awards presentation. Araki expressed his expectations for new forms of photographic expression from the award winners: "Photographs are attractive for many reasons, and every photographer has his or her own personality. As I looked at each work, I felt the beginnings of some new photographic expression taking shape." Iizawa praised Grand Prize winner Misato Kuroda: "I liked the stance Kuroda takes toward her photos. Obviously she has the talent to take photos, but I feel she also has the ability to continue on as a photographer-artist. Her state of development is very similar to Ninagawa's debut." Nanjo gave Kuroda her due, saying: "Kuroda's photos are remarkable. I sensed the rich vocabulary and promise in her expressions. And the sense of distance from the men appearing in the photos gave a greater sense of love than more revealing photos would." He again questioned the potential of photography, addressing all the submissions in the contest: "There were no works that tried to redefine what photography is. I hope in the future to see works that transform the stereotypes and preconceived notions of photography." Enomoto touched on the trends he found in the submissions: "Overall, there were some experimental and challenging pieces. I found the competition to be a battle between works that strived for these new expressions and works that competed on the energy inherent in photography." He continued: "For this contest, at the same time as rating the strength of the actual work, I tried to read the aims and potential of the artist. Kuroda was selected from this overall evaluation." The last judge, Ninagawa, who won the Grand Prize at the New Cosmos of Photography (the 13th competition) in 1996, provided encouragement to all of the award winners: "Taking the Grand Prize means your ability has been recognized. What you will start on next is the key. That's what I've felt, so I encourage you to do the same. Of course, this potential exists in all the award winners. Now, go and pursue it."
