“FLYING HIPPO”
At the beginning of 2002, a friend of mine told me about swimming hippopotam uses, and I had an urge to see them. Every night, I imagined hippos extending their short legs and kicking rhythmically to swim. Gradually I could only think about hippos, and I had to go see them. Year after year, a kind of urge that originates in me has changed from something abstract to something more concrete, almost like a lump.
Selecting judge: Kotaro Iizawa
Surprise, discovery, and excitement are the essentials of photography. This series is filled with such joyfulness. The images of swimming hippopotamuses are nostalgic for some reason, and they draw out a “deja-vu” feeling. It might be the feeling of a fetus floating in amniotic fluid. Developing a pretty large print of a single photo turned out to be successful. It was conspicuous partly because there were so many entries for this year’s competition, and most of them lacked clear concepts. Her work has the power to tap into viewers’ memories in depth. I expect her to grow as a powerful photographer of a high caliber.
