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Ever since she began photography, Maya Akashika has continued to experiment with transforming images in her mind into photographic works.
She had planned to continue in this style for the foreseeable future, but recently she has felt a subtle change.

I want to make photos that reflect my own imagination

-In your work, you create a situation, and, although it looks like reality, you create a very fictional world. How did you end up with this style?

I encountered photography after I entered university. I was attracted by the arts clubs at university, so I joined the photo club. That’s where I discovered the wonder of bringing what I imagine into a tangible form, and I’ve continued doing this ever since. I change the title at every showing, but transforming the images in my mind into photos is what I do now and what I will continue to do.

-You studied East Asian visual culture at university.

That’s right. I went to China when I was in high school and it was an unforgettable experience for me. So, I chose to study Chinese at university and did a two-year course in Chinese. After that, I studied East Asian visual culture, which involved watching films and learning about color. There was an exhibition called “Avant-Garde China,” which was held at the Osaka National Museum of Art in 2008 and 2009. That blew me away. I’m fascinated by all things Chinese.

-You went on to the Visual Arts College Osaka after university. Why did you decide to study photography full time?

I was taking photos after graduating from university, but I knew nothing about photography. I enrolled in the college because I wanted to see a lot more of photography. A senior from my photo club, Daisuke Nakashima (a co-Grand Prize winner in 2007), went to Visual Arts, so I took my cue from him.

-There is a sense of floating, suspension, in your work, as if you’ve suddenly been drawn away from reality. At what point do you click the shutter?

My friend, who models for me, and I both move and swing through wind or water, and I keep shooting as both of us build up this excitement. I give the model some direction about how I want her to move and perform, but most people just start playing around and come up with something. If I’m having fun, then the model starts to have fun too, and, conversely, if the model is enjoying herself, then I do too.

-What criteria do you use for selecting your photographs?

In the past, when I used smoke during performances, I tended to choose photos that captured the smoke, but this time I deliberately chose photos that didn’t capture the smoke. When I look at a photo that captures exactly what I imagined, I’m turned off because it’s like looking at the same thing twice.
When I’m selecting photos, I’m considering a lot of things like: “is this really beautiful?” or “do I think it’s good?” There was a time at college when I would select photos only on their appearance or for what others said, but now, instead of that, I want to try to choose things with the same scale as me without thinking too much.

-The book you entered has a really nice arrangement of photos

To tell the truth, I rushed through the selection process without thinking about it too deeply. But, what I was looking to create was a sense of flying through the places and worlds of the things I took in each frame rather than produce some sense of connection between the photos. For the book, I tried to choose things that were not similar to each other.

I try to incorporate the forces of nature in my photos

-Tell me about the process you use to make your photographs.

At first image was very important. I used to have the models wear really eccentric-looking clothes and choose the photos that showed them at their best and most beautiful. But, recently I have selected photos for their overall atmosphere rather than being picky over how a face or whatever looks. I’m always thinking about how to have everything in motion in order not to highlight just the subject. That’s why I’ve been going to the mountains and the sea and rivers instead of always being indoors. I love nature—fire, water, wind. Nature moves in a direction that is completely different from what you imagine, so it’s fresh and new every time. Selecting the location is important when creating motion in photos with the forces of nature.

-So it becomes a scene with a person in it rather than taking a picture of a specific person.

For sure. Whoever is with me at the time will do, if they are willing to be photographed. The only thing is I make a lot of crazy demands and ask for some pretty strenuous movements, so inevitably they have to be someone I’m on friendly terms with.

-What kind of photo gallery exhibitions did you want to do?

I wanted to show my photos as large as possible.

- Why so large? Is it the sense of a full-body portrait that you want to convey?

That’s definitely part of it. It’s probably because I like the feeling of being next to something huge. I haven’t had many opportunities to exhibit so far—just exhibits at cafes and school galleries—and I’m almost never present at those exhibits. Having said that, last October I had my first solo exhibition after winning an award at Kansai Onaeba, a contest put on by some photo magazines, which I entered after being recommended by my school. I was amazed by photos on a large scale because they take in such a wide vista. That’s where I got interested in the world of exhibitions where the entire space is on show. I want to have exhibits that have visitors engage freely with their own thoughts.

Confidence to stick to your guns

-Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize. Has your frame of mind changed at all?

I was worried because I thought my work is from a different space compared to the direct style of photos that everyone was thinking of for the Excellence Awards. But, throughout the judging, I felt the judges were telling me to stick to what I thought was good and ignore everything else. That gave me a lot of confidence.

-Has anything changed within you now that you’ve gone through your first art gallery exhibition and judging?

Looking at my work in the exhibition made me realize there were more props and unnecessary elements than I’d imagined when I was shooting. Prior to the exhibit, I thought I would keep going in the direction of the works I submitted for this competition, but with this show I came to the understanding that “eating wind” marked the end of one series. I doubt if my approach to making photos will change that radically, but after sorting some things out, I plan to start on my next photos with a new attitude.
And after meeting the other winners, I realized I’m still sloppy and that I have to progress in my whole approach to photography a little more before moving on to my next project.

-What are your future plans?

In December, I’m going to the sea to shoot friends I always work with. After that I’m going to Shanghai. Shanghai left a huge impression on me the first time I went, but I’ve never gone there to shoot. It’s only four days, but I’m hoping to shoot the streets of Shanghai. I want to see some art in Shanghai as well, because it has really come a long way. I’ll be looking to come away with some powerful impressions. There’s a limit to photography based only on your own internal images, so to make something new, I need to get some images from somewhere and expand myself. I’m making some movies as well as an experiment using the camera I received for winning this competition. I want to broaden my imagination having been motivated by installations and other things aside from photos.
After getting some inspiration and sorting things out in my head, I want to start making works for a solo exhibition next year. I want to have an exhibition that I will feel good about a year later. Pressing on with what I want to do is the responsibility I feel after winning this Grand Prize.