Statement

My buddha

"You’re getting an IV drip tomorrow,” and yet that tomorrow never came for that person. The whole world plunged into chaos because of the sudden emergence of a novel virus that stole many lives as we live in fear. Holding the hands of those who have gone cold, the ones left behind reminisce warm memories. It’s nobody’s fault, but we keep on thinking “If only...” If only the medical facilities were still operating as usual, he/she might still be smiling in this world. Pondering over such possibilities in the very last moments. While time relentlessly passes them by, their loved ones now rest in peace.

Profile

Ayaka Okuma

Born and raised in Japan.
Crossing the Pacific Ocean on a 36-foot yacht, I was struck by how closed the world was thatI had lived in. Subsequently, I traveled to to Perth, Australia to study photography. While performing shoots related to yachts and fashion, I held photo exhibits at home and abroad under the theme of "Living".
2020 Received awards including Capture Magazine Art Photo TOP 5
2021 Solo exhibits scheduled for Saitama, Tokyo, and Kyoto

Jury selection

In My Buddha, photographer Ayaka OKUMA offers a beautiful, quiet elegy. In a series of elegant fragments reminiscent of Rinko KAWAUCHI, Okuma allows us to piece together the final days of someone who died as a result of Covid.

Links

• HP：https://ayakaokuma.com/

  Instgram：@aya.scape