2011 marks the 21st year since the inauguration of New Cosmos of Photography. As times have changed from the 20th to the 21st century, New Cosmos of Photography has turned out a great number of photographers who have been successful inside and outside Japan. From now on it will continue to turn out the kinds of photographer we can expect to see in the next generation. In 2011, we welcome three photographers with New Cosmos of Photography award experience (Katsumi Omori, Masafumi Sanai, and HIROMIX) and art and photography critics (Noi Sawaragi and Minoru Shimizu).
Katsumi Omori
Photographer. Born in Hyogo prefecture in 1963. Dropped out of the photography department at Nihon University 's College of Art.
A book that contained a portfolio of his travels along with the French rock band Mano Negra on a Latin American tour, "GOOD TRIPS, BAD TRIPS," was selected by two judges, Robert Frank and Kotaro Iizawa, to win the Excellence Award in the New Cosmos of Photography 1994 (the 9th competition). Thereafter, he has continued to publish books of photographs, and hold exhibitions and slideshows of his work. The major books of photographs were salsa gum tape (1998 Little More Co., Ltd.), encounter (2005 match and company, inc.), Sanayora (2006 Aiikusha Co. , Ltd.), and Bonjour (2010 match and company, inc.).
Masafumi Sanai
Photographer. New Cosmos of Photography 1995 (the 12th competition) Excellence Award winner.
Continuing to lead his photo generation, he has published many books of photographs. His 2002 book MAP won the 28th Kimura Ihei Commemorative Photography Award. In 2008, he started his own photo book imprint "TAISHOU," and in August 2010 published "Island Island," his tenth book, and remains active.
Noi Sawaragi
Art critic. His first collection of criticisms published in 1991, Simulationism, shed light on cultural movements in the 1990s and generated considerable controversy. His important work Japan/Modernity/Art characterized postwar Japan as "a bad place," and it redefined Japan's art history and art criticism from the bottom up. He also wrote World Wars and World Fairs, a critical reassessment of the 1970 Osaka World Fair, and numerous other works. In recent years, he has been involved in a reevaluation of Taro Okamoto and a reconsideration of war record paintings.
Currently, he is a professor at Tama Art University, General Education, Faculty of Art and Design.
Minoru Shimizu
Photo critic. Since 1995, Shimizu's work as a critic has involved mainly contemporary art and photography, and contemporary music.
In 1995, he received the 1st Koen Shigemori Award for Photography Criticism for The Photographic Invisible: James Welling.
His main translations are Gerhard Richter: Photo Essay/Picture Essay (1996 Tankosha Publishing Co., Ltd.), and Karlheinz Stockhausen: Texte zur elektronischen und instrumentalen Musik Band 1963 (1999 Gendaishichoshinsha Co., Ltd.).
Among his books are Photos in Black and White ... (2004), Photos and Every Day (2006), Everyday Ordinary Photos (2009, the above are from Gendaishichoshinsha Co., Ltd.). At present he is a professor at Doshisha University Institute for Language and Culture.
HIROMIX
Photographer. After graduating from high school, she entered "SEVENTEEN GIRL DAYS" in the New Cosmos of Photography 1995 competition and won the Grand Prize. Her book of photographs "GIRLS BLUE" (1996) sold exceptionally well, and driving the "girly photo" fad had a major impact on photographic expression that followed. Her 2001 photo book "HIROMIX WORKS" won the 26th Kimura Ihei Commemorative Photography Award.
"Early Spring, Brighten of Your Mind" exhibition (2009 at hiromiyoshii gallery) and many others.
