THEME #04

PORTRAIT

Winners

2019SEP

GRAND PRIX

DETAIL

Statement

19 years old

I'm currently supporting myself working part time at a gas station while I enjoy taking photographs. The subject in this photo is a 19-year-old junior coworker. With his shaved head, pierced nose, and graffiti-like tattoos, he's at an age I can never return to. I took his picture with both a sense of envy and the desire to develop a closer friendship.

Profile

Natsuko Kito

Born in 1992, in Kyoto. Majored in Japanese painting in the Master of Fine Arts program, Nara University of Education. Simultaneously specialized in photography at Vantan Design Institute Osaka campus. Currently engaged in freelance photography with a focus on still photography for films, TV, and various media outlets. I aim to capture the appeal of my subjects in photographs that naturally find their way into viewers' hearts.

Jury selection

Just five pictures is enough to show the the subject, the background and environment, as well as eloquently state the way the photographer views the subject, and how they want to express the subject to the world. I can say that, as a portrait, this is an exquisite piece, and a work of art that amplifies the strength of the resonance of sensitivity and understanding, and that once viewed will not be easily forgotten.

links

https://www.instagram.com/ktntk02/

SHORT LIST

Naoyuki Hata

Comment: The sight seen when rubble, materialized in a flattened form, once again has a certain amount of light shone upon it. An ambitious piece, that forcefully projects to the viewer what is being portrayed.

DETAIL

Kaito Ito

Comment: The existence of plants and animals, of humans, the state of the relationship between nature and artificiality, ecology, in a manner well in tune with an era in which all these things are being fundamentally transformed, the point of view of the artist is clearly portrayed.

DETAIL

Koji

Comment: An ambitious work that, while addressing personal issues of concern, attempts to embrace an archaeological element as the image settles in. I feel that, should you choose yourself as the subject, you would be well-served to clearly communicate the demeanor in which you are being portrayed.

DETAIL

Nobue Kanekawa

Comment: I find interesting the way the perspective is shifted to the scenery seen standing next to the box.

DETAIL

Shuji Sugiura

Comment: I thought that it would be interesting to more closely examine whether visible light limited to the range visible to the human eye is good, or whether it is essentially called a concept because it is limited to said range.

DETAIL

Osamu Sakamoto

Comment: The many different textures that come out when details are not fully recovered in the halftone could make this very interesting.

DETAIL

Rena Iwasaki

Comment: A piece of beauty tat can be resonated with, straightforwardly.

DETAIL

THEME SUMMARY

Since the beginning of photography, portraits have been one of the most important genres in photography. The word, portrait, often alludes to human portraits. However, in the recent years, that may not be the case anymore. Maybe, they don’t need to be human figures. In this competition, we want to reevaluate what portraits can be. Free yourself from the conventional ideas of portraiture and explore this genre as it feels right for you. And of course, it may still be the standard human portraits as well!
[Submission Period]　from September 1 to October 31

JUDGE

Yoshihisa Tanaka
（Art Director, Graphic Designer, Nerhol）

Yoshihisa Tanaka graduated from Musashino Art University with a major in Scenography, Display and Fashion Design, and became an independent artist in 2008. In addition to art museums, he has also worked on exhibition V.I. plans for commercial galleries as well as the binding and design of artist collections. Artists whose collections he has been responsible for include Viviane Sassen, Daren Almond, Scheltens&Abbenes, Honma Takashi, Hanayo, Rinko Kawauchi, Terri Weifenbach, Nao Tsuda, Naoki Ishikawa, SANNESANNES, herman de vries, Taisuke Koyama, Shigekazu Onuma, Yoshinori Niwa, Mai Yamashita+Naoto Kobayashi, Norimichi Hirakawa, among others. His major honors include being a recipient of the 2013 JAGDA Award, the JAGDA New Designer Award, the BACON PRIZE 2013, the 2012 PromaxBDA DESIGN GLOBAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS / SILVER (United States), and the 2010 red dot award (Germany). He is also active in the artist unit “Nerhol” alongside the sculptor Ryuta Iida.
www.nerhol.com