Mita Philosophical Society Lecture: "Crossing Fields—The Documentary Project 'Ibasyo' as an Example"

April 26, 2018

Lecture Overview

Mr. Okahara was born in Tokyo in 1980. He graduated from Waseda University and later dropped out of the graduate program at the University of the Witwatersrand, a national university in South Africa.

Focusing on the theme of "ibasyo" (a place where one belongs), he has continued his photography work and has published five photobooks to date: "Contact #1," "Vanishing World," "Almost Paradise," "Fukushima Fragments," and "Ibasyo: Girls Who Self-Harm 'Proof of Existence'." In fiscal 2008, he was a trainee under the Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 2009, he was the first Japanese photographer to be selected for the Joop Swart Masterclass, a program by the World Press Photo Foundation that chooses 12 young photographers from around the world. He was also named one of the "30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch" by Photo District News. In 2010, he received the W. Eugene Smith Fellowship for his work "Ibasyo." He received a Getty Grant in 2012 for his work documenting Fukushima after the nuclear accident, and the Pierre & Alexandra Boulat Award in 2014 for his work in Colombia. This same work was also selected for Leica's 100th-anniversary traveling exhibition. His works have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Musée du quai Branly (Paris), C/O Berlin, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Bavarian State Library (Munich), Annenberg Space for Photography (Los Angeles), and Aperture (New York).

This lecture, based on his latest work "ibasyo," will explore sociological, artistic, and human perspectives on engaging with people who struggle to find their place in modern society.