May.1.2006
Canon starts accepting entries for “New Cosmos of Photography 2006”
-Guest Judges are photographer Boris Mikhailov and artist Katsuhiko Hibino-
Canon Inc. starts accepting entries for “New Cosmos of Photography 2006”. The entry period is from Monday, May 1 to Friday, June 30, 2006.
This time, photographer Boris Mikhailov and artist Katsuhiko Hibino are invited as guest judges, in addition to the regular judges; Nobuyoshi Araki (photographer), Kotaro Iizawa (photo critic), Fumio Nanjo (Director of the Mori Art Museum), and Daido Moriyama (photographer).
Photographer Boris Mikhailov comes from Ukraine, and he is renowned for his works portraying people who lived in his hometown under the former Soviet regime and those who have lived there since the demise of the regime. Currently he is based in Berlin, Germany.
Katsuhiko Hibino is one of the most renowned Japanese artists actively working in a wide range of fields including performing arts and public art.
As for the selection of excellent work award winners, each judge chooses an entrant or a unit of his choice for the finalists. The chosen six are entitled to take part in the “New Cosmos of Photography 2006” Exhibition to be held this fall. The grand prize winner of this year will be decided at the selection committee meeting open to the public held during the same exhibition.
Guest of Jadge
Boris Mikhailov
Photographer. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine in 1938. While working as an engineer, he studied photography on his own. Under the Soviet Regime, there was no freedom of taking a photo. Boris Mikhailov took photos bringing forth his criticism on the regime between the 1970s and 1980s, and after the demise of the regime, he photographed to record social changes. Since 1989, he has presented his works worldwide. He taught at Harvard University as a visiting professor in 2000. From 2002 to 2003, he gave a course at the Academy of Visual Art, Leipzig. He takes part in the exhibition “Tokyo - Berlin / Berlin - Tokyo” held at the Mori Art Museum at Roppongi, Tokyo from January 28 to May 7, 2006.
Katsuhiko Hibino
Artist. Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1958. Completed the master’s course at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. As a university student, he presented a work made of cardboard, which became very popular. Besides giving many solo and group exhibitions, he has been active in other fields including performing arts and public art. Recently, he is more active in giving workshops featuring participation of the public and local distinctive characteristics. Katsuhiko Hibino won the 3rd Japan Graphic Exhibition grand prize in 1982, the 30th ADC best award and the 1st JACA Exhibition grand prize in 1983. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1995, and won the Mainichi Design grand prize in 1999. He set up “the cultural programs department of the Day-after-tomorrow Newspaper Office” at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003. He is still working on this project. In 2005, he took part in “Expo 2005 – Aichi, Japan,” held his exhibition “Hibino Expo 2005” at Art Tower Mito, and in February, he published a photo book “Yesterday Today Tomorrow” (Little More), following the process of his work at Hibino Expo from the stage of preparation. From April 29 to July 9, he holds his exhibition “Kaku-kaku-shikajika (depict and write such and such)” at the treasure repository of Temman Shrine at Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture. In addition, from June 9 to July 9, he will give an exhibition on the theme of the “World Cup” at the Kyushu National Museum. Thinking about team Japan as representing Asia, Hibino challenges the fusion of football and art.
Jadge
Nobuyoshi Araki
Photographer. Born in Tokyo in 1940. Graduated from the Department of Photography and Printing, Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University. His work “Satchin” won the 1st Taiyo (Solar) Prize in 1964. His virtually first photo book “Sentimental Journey” that he published at his own expense gives detailed description of his honeymoon, and attracted a great deal of attention. To date, he has published more than 200 photo books, and has established his own style of photography called “I-Photos.” His themes are reality and fiction, love and sex, and life and death, and his innovative methodology is widely noticed every time. Early in 2005, he held a duo-exhibition with Daido Moriyama, titled “Moriyama·Shinjuku·Araki” at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. He also held a large-scale exhibition “Self·Life·Death” at Barbican Art Gallery in London autumn 2005 through early 2006, which was deemed partly controversial.
Kotaro Iizawa
Photo critic. Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1954. Graduated from the Department of Photography, Faculty of Arts, Nihon University in 1977. Completed the doctoral course in art at Tsukuba University Graduate School in 1984. Published the first issue of quarterly photo magazine “déjà-vu” in 1990, and was the chief editor until January 1994. Besides actively writing on the history of Japanese photography based on his fieldwork, he works energetically in other fields such as illustrations. His recent books include “Shashin ni tsuite hanaso (Let’s Talk About Photos),” “246 Loaded Photography Books,” and “Japanese Photographers.” D-Library Kaolinite is a library he opened at Koenji, Tokyo in May 2005, where visitors can look through the photo books included in his “246 Loaded Photography Books” and other photo-related publications.
Fumio Nanjo
Director of the Mori Art Museum. Born in Tokyo in 1949. Graduated from the Department of Economics, Keio University, and the Department of Philosophy (aesthetics and art history) of the same university. Assumed his present position after working for the Japan Foundation and other organizations. The major projects for which he had responsibility include commissioner for the Japan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997, commissioner for the Taipei Biennale, and judge for Turner Prize (UK) in 1998, co-curator for Asia Pacific Triennial (Australia) in 1999, international selection committee member for the Sydney Triennial, and exhibition expert for the Japan Pavilion at the Hanover International Exposition in 2000, and artistic director for the Yokohama Triennale in 2001. Currently Nanjo is making preparations, as an artistic director, for the 1st Singapore Biennale to be held in September 2006. He also worked as a consultant for projects of public art and corporate art, a selection committee member for foundations and funds, and an adviser for artist-in-residence programs. In 2005, Fumio Nanjo acted as a member of the Gold Lion Award selection committee at the 51st Venice Biennale. He is also vice-chairman of AICA (the International Association of Art Critics), trustee of CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art), and lecturer of Keio University. His books include “From Art to City - following the footsteps of an independent curator over 15 years,” (Kashima Shuppan-kai, 1997)
Daido Moriyama
Photographer. Born in Osaka in 1938. After becoming a freelance commercial designer at the age of 20, Daido Moriyama began to work at the studio of Takeji Iwamiya in 1960. In 1961, he went to Tokyo to join “VIVO,” an agency led by Shomei Tomatsu, and afterwards, in 1964, he began to work as a freelance photographer. He has been positive about his work taking pictures and presenting them - for instance, he brought his photos of Yokosuka to the then photo magazine “Camera Mainichi” in 1965, and on the spot, it was decided that the magazine would carry his works. His major photo books include “Japan: A Photo Theater” (Muromachi Shobo, 1968), “Lettre à St. Lou” (Kawaide Shobo, 1990), “Daido hysteric” (Hysteric Glamour, 1993, 1994, and 1997), and “The Times of a Dog” (Sakuhin-sha, 1995). Also Moriyama’s “From Photos / To Photos” (Seikyu-sha, 1995) collects his essays. His large-scale solo exhibition “MORIYAMA” held at Fondation Cartier pour L’Art Contemporain from 2003 to early 2004 won high praise.
