Report on Grand Prize Selection Open-Committee Meeting of New Cosmos of Photography 2010 (the 33rd competition)
Judges' comments
Harumichi Saito
Sanai : "Photos clearly define the four corners. In Saito's work, the photos feel like you are drawn into the center from the four corners. It's like they are very earnest photos. But they are not too serious; they have liveliness about them. And the colors are nice. There are many photos that feature solitude, however, that is not felt here, and isolation is a strength. Rather than focusing too much on the problems of the disabled, I would like to see the focus on the photos."
Shimizu : "Rather than works with only the disabled people as the theme, from now on I would like to see you photograph a variety of subjects".
Karen Sato
Shimizu : "From the title and the content of the presentation, I was able to understand that she was in a state of emergence. That means that after emerging, I believe she is in a state of emptiness at present. And being empty is not necessarily a negative thing when shooting photos."
Omori : "It seems that all of the photos were taken in Japan in the house where she used to live, and where she currently lives. At first glance I thought they looked like Eastern Europe. This feeling of distance in the photos is probably a good thing."
Shibata Sumi
Ninagawa : "It felt good looking at the straightforward photos. The exhibition was straightforward as well, but a few more photos might have been better. I could feel a connection to what we were doing during what was referred to as the boom of girl photographers during the 1990s. The origin is the same."
Sawaragi : "I can understand the good feeling in the photos. However, as a limited society is being photographed, even if one's tuning is adjusted to view these works, there will always be some people who they will find them unsuitable."
Sanai : "I believe that the subjects that could only be photographed at that time were well visualized. After graduating from high school, it makes me want to see current photos taken in a different environment."
Koichi Takagi
Sawaragi : "The photos are exhibited like an installation. I think it's interesting how an individual with a body could research things that have no form such as fire and smoke. It made me feel I wanted to know more about what kind of place he was trying to make with the works and the exhibition."
Omori : "Takagi is thinking of some pretty difficult things here. Why was there a naked man in the middle of the forest? I wondered if it was not a woman due to an aesthetic sense, or a problem of which was easier to photograph."
Ikumi Taniguchi
Omori : "I felt it looked cool to have black and white photo prints just spread out around the selection meeting area. When it came to the exhibition, there was a bit less impact, but the stylishness of the photos remained the same."
Ninagawa : "With the huge volume of black and white prints, I could feel the enthusiasm as if they were steaming. As a photographer, I could feel myself reacting. Photographing something from the inside is valuable as it is not something everyone can do."
