The 7th Exhibition of New Cosmos of Photography 1998
Report on the open-selection meetings
Public selection : Dec.4.1998(FRI)
On the first day, December 4, an open selection meeting, in which judges, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Kotaro Iizawa, and Fumio Nanjo took part, was held at the venue of the seventh exhibition of “New Cosmos of Photography,” at P3, auditorium of Tochoji Temple in Yotsuya, Tokyo, and the grand prize winner 1998 was chosen from eight excellent work award winners in the 17th and 18th open contests. At the open selection meeting and opening reception over three hundred visitors gathered including persons related to excellent work award winners, photographers, galleries, museums, publishers, and students. Ayako Kashiwa won the grand prize, Yasuyuki Kurose a special award, and Toru Ukai, Takae Sasada, and Chinatsu Takemura won incentive prizes for their good works.
Overall Evaluation
At the 7th open-selection meeting of “New Cosmos of Photography,” the winning works of the 17th and 18th contests were evaluated.
Overview of the 17th selection
Nobuyoshi Araki
There are so many entries! Tokyo has become a country of photographers. The general standards have risen. Documentary-style photos are no longer interesting. Young people probably know by instinct that they can reveal themselves through photography. They can show their best selves. Isn’t it a great situation in Japan, and also on a worldwide level? They are very free in taking pictures and presenting them. The pictures can be classified into those taken of works, those of actions, those of sound, etc. Personally, I like a picture which seals all sorts of words and sentences inside. That kind of attitude and aesthetic sense is good. I think many people seek it.
Kotaro Iizawa
The number of entries has increased this time, and quite a number of works are of high quality. This is the 17th competition, and I have seen the ups and downs—probably we are again meeting an upward wave. What strikes me is the maturity and development of those works by second and third time entrants. I am glad to see their individual worlds being more solid and and independent. Laborious works by Ayako Kashiwa, Yasuyuki Kurose, and Toru Itoh tell me that the standard of their expressions is stable. At the same time, the freshness of the first-timers is also precious. I long to see more works that stand out and are unlike any others.
Fumio Nanjo
Familiar people are taking a large number of pictures. Some are posed portraits, some are raw nudes. However, the most erotic moment is when the one who poses for a formal portrait goes nude. It is the most charming moment when a person’s truth is stripped bare, but not many people have tried to photograph this moment. Similarly, they could take pictures of the moment. There is a wide variety of expressions including Faucon-like photos. However, I find few works to be unique. The overall atmosphere of the entries has become more cheerful. The ones emphasizing technique have also increased. Probably people are again searching for a new style of photography.
Bernard Faucon
Many applicants concentrate on taking pictures and hold many different ideas when taking pictures. I could find very delicate elements in each work, and the experience was wonderful. However, the question is how many pictures were ones they really wanted to take? The pictures which are most appealing to me are those taken in the photographer’s daily life—with such serial pictures making up a little story that has sensitive elements in it. A good picture would be the one which is either exactly what a photographer wanted to take or what turned out to be a great picture by chance. I find, among the entries, good pictures taken by chance. Actually, I suspect that a great number of them are pictures that are not exactly what the photographers intended to make to take, but turned out to be better than they planned. Some people come up with one really good picture, but their other pictures are bad. Overall I’d say the pictures as a group attain a certain level, but there is no one outstanding work.
Overview of the 18th selection
Nobuyoshi Araki
The most attractive subjective subjects are around us; for example, this boy (younger brother) in this chosen work. On a subconscious level, he is the most precious thing to her. So the pictures are relatively good although the photographer might not be aware of it. Going abroad to take pictures of a town that is unfamiliar to the photographer is no good. I sometimes take pictures of my neighborhood, and I have a soft spot for what surrounds me. After all, it is no fun to take pictures of place with which one has nothing to do. Women photographers are more interesting. They are individually unique. They take pictures in a straightforward way, and they look lively. Men are more serious and their intensity surfaces in their pictures. Women take pictures while nonchalantly believing they have good taste. They are arrogant in a way.
Kotaro Iizawa
The overall level was high. Working as a judge for the New Cosmos of Photography contest for many years, I’m afraid I’m used to certain patterns in applicants. I feel that we should revive the initial surprises involved in the act of taking pictures and looking at them. The pictures by Mami Iwasaki, which I recommended to be included in the “good works” and which Mr. Nanjo selected as his best choice, are outstanding. She is now studying in Brighton, U.K., and the different educational system must have played an important role in developing her ability to compile such a high-quality photo book.
Fumio Nanjo
Although the number of applicants has increased, the general contents are alike. Recently, I find more narrative works, and a feeling of playing games. Many pictures show the photographers’ daily scenes and people around them, and sometimes their trips abroad are included. It is easy to find visually interesting materials overseas where as it is difficult to find anything special in the surrounding environment. It requires the photographer to see something new and different, dramas in the ordinary world. When taking pictures in a foreign country, it is sometimes better to shoot things that are common to us instead of “strange” things because culturally unique things would look too exotic. I think the essence of photography is to feel something special in what one sees, grasp it and save that image in a picture. Pictures taken for photography’s sake would tell us nothing. That is what I strongly felt, working as a judge this time.
Takashi Honma
I wonder why there are no photographers who would deny Araki and me. All the pictures look similar. The photographers (including the judges) are all too sensitive to what Mr. Araki would think of the pictures. Certainly Mr. Araki is excellent. However, his pictures are not everything. Is this contest itself in a blind alley? I was neither surprised nor impressed by the pictures. After all, I was impressed by Mr. Araki who found powerful works among them. He is great. I surrender and feel bad about my laziness. (I did not look at the works of color copies from the beginning.) Why don’t you take different kinds of pictures? It doesn’t matter whether Mr. Araki or I don’t understand them or like them. Doesn’t anyone know Wegmann or the Becher school? I have a hint. (Mr. Araki once said that one should not take pictures which look better than what they actually look. So, isn’t it interesting to submit pictures which look far better than what they actually look?)
