Unseen Everyday Japan: Artist Talk

By Q. Sakamaki
May 10, 2017

Join us for an artist talk by documentary photographer Q. Sakamaki on his personal experience capturing facets of the human condition from around the world. Sakamaki will also delve into the impact of social media climate on print media, with a particular focus on mobile photography and Instagram.

Sakamaki is the curator of Unseen Everyday Japan, a photo exhibition showing an alternative vision of contemporary Japanese life through Instagram. The photos span from urban street scenes, through to more complex social issues. The images are curated from @EverydayJapan, an Instagram account of the global photography project, The Everyday Projects, which depicts everyday life through the eyes of its contributors. Unseen Everyday Japan is part of the Head On Photo Festival, running in May.

The works in the exhibition capture the unseen stories of human drama and modern life in strongly aestheticized imagery. From snapshots of quiet summertime sunshine to lonely shoebox apartments, the Japanese photographers document a different—but very much real—experience of daily life.

I feel something soulful, like I’m touching some human emotion behind the scene. If I’m shooting a building or a landscape, I feel something behind there like a spirit of nature, or a spirit of the human soul.

Q. Sakamaki, on shooting with his phone’s camera.

ABOUT Q. SAKAMAKI

Photo by Bob Demchuk

Q. Sakamaki is a New York-based Japanese documentary photographer, curator, and educator focusing on human experiences, socio-economic issues, and narratives from war zones. His photographs have appeared in books and magazines worldwide, including Time magazine and Newsweek, and have been the subject of international solo exhibitions. His acclaimed work documenting Liberian child soldiers features in an international campaign. Sakamaki’s work has been awarded the World Press Photo award and two Overseas Press Club prizes.

@qsakamaki / www.qsakamaki.com

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