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Osamu Yokonami "100 Children"
Emon Photo Gallery
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Artists
Osamu Yokonami
Born in Kyoto in 1967, photographer Osamu Yokonami’s work has appeared in advertisements featured in SO-EN, Hanatsubaki, Milk, and other fashion magazines. His first solo exhibition “innocent” debuted at Emon Photo Gallery in 2007. His photography collection nan no kenai, published that same year, won admirers for their blend of both humor and subtle pathos.
Yokonami’s work brings together a uniquely whimsical approach and a soft visual tone that makes the most of natural lighting. Thoroughly conceived and readily recognizable, Yokonami’s style has introduced a new approach to fashion photography that has won him many admirers. In the two years since his last exhibition, he has further refined his style with an approach that pares down compositional elements to a bare minimum.
100 Children is a collection of portraits of young girls. In each portrait, the girl holds a fruit or vegetable on her shoulder by bending her neck to keep it in place. Simplicity is the unifying motif of the clothes, background, pose and facial expression that comprise the entire composition. In these compositions stripped of all embellishment the essential elements are the faces of young girls on the verge of self-awareness. In these photographs we see a whole range of expression: sometimes wary, sometimes vigilant, sometimes defiant. The face of a child that at first glance seems blank and expressionless reveals on closer observation a hint of shyness in her cheeks.
“I paid special attention to the color of the fruits and vegetables because I wanted to use colors that complement Japanese facial features,” says Yokonami. The fruits used in the portraits were chosen so as to accentuate the tilt of the head, the black hair and the eyes of the subjects. Even the subtle hue that forms the background of these portraits is a traditional Japanese color. The light tone and deep colors of Yokonami’s portraits skillfully capture the budding self-awareness of these pre-school age girl and the emotional energy emanating from these still-innocent young faces. The result is a series of fascinating portraits that give us a glimpse of qualities that are uniquely Japanese.
By skillfully exploiting the curious charm of fruit and vegetables, 100 Children is minimal art formed around a superb synthesis of manga-esque pop motifs and the paring away of all descriptive elements. And by bringing his own brand of humor to a conceptual approach, 100 Children stands as a fine summation of the work that has preceded it. In sum, with this exhibition, Yokonami quietly but confidently shows the world of fine art photography something it has never seen before.
Yokonami’s work brings together a uniquely whimsical approach and a soft visual tone that makes the most of natural lighting. Thoroughly conceived and readily recognizable, Yokonami’s style has introduced a new approach to fashion photography that has won him many admirers. In the two years since his last exhibition, he has further refined his style with an approach that pares down compositional elements to a bare minimum.
100 Children is a collection of portraits of young girls. In each portrait, the girl holds a fruit or vegetable on her shoulder by bending her neck to keep it in place. Simplicity is the unifying motif of the clothes, background, pose and facial expression that comprise the entire composition. In these compositions stripped of all embellishment the essential elements are the faces of young girls on the verge of self-awareness. In these photographs we see a whole range of expression: sometimes wary, sometimes vigilant, sometimes defiant. The face of a child that at first glance seems blank and expressionless reveals on closer observation a hint of shyness in her cheeks.
“I paid special attention to the color of the fruits and vegetables because I wanted to use colors that complement Japanese facial features,” says Yokonami. The fruits used in the portraits were chosen so as to accentuate the tilt of the head, the black hair and the eyes of the subjects. Even the subtle hue that forms the background of these portraits is a traditional Japanese color. The light tone and deep colors of Yokonami’s portraits skillfully capture the budding self-awareness of these pre-school age girl and the emotional energy emanating from these still-innocent young faces. The result is a series of fascinating portraits that give us a glimpse of qualities that are uniquely Japanese.
By skillfully exploiting the curious charm of fruit and vegetables, 100 Children is minimal art formed around a superb synthesis of manga-esque pop motifs and the paring away of all descriptive elements. And by bringing his own brand of humor to a conceptual approach, 100 Children stands as a fine summation of the work that has preceded it. In sum, with this exhibition, Yokonami quietly but confidently shows the world of fine art photography something it has never seen before.
Schedule | Oct 2 (Fri) 2009-Oct 31 (Sat) 2009 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Emon Photo Gallery | ||||
| Location | B1F Togo Bldg., 5-11-12 Minamiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0047 | ||||
| Access | 3 minute walk from exit 3 at Hiroo Station on the Hibiya line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5793-5437 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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