“When I write about your photograph of the monk, it was not simply because it captured a “Japanese” scene. What moved me was the sense of distance and the quiet gaze within it – something deeply contemplative. Japanese photographers certainly possess a profound, indigenous aesthetic sensibility. However, familiarity can sometimes make it difficult to truly see what’s around us.
Rather than saying that an outsider’s perspective is necessary, I feel your own words express it best, ‘Only when I am in an unfamiliar environment do my eyes open.’ Perhaps it is precisely that awareness – the ability to encounter a culture, that you deeply respect, is as if seeing it for the first time – that gives your work atmosphere.
Your gaze does not feel critical, but reverent. That is why the monk in your photo does not appear merely documented, but engaged in a quiet dialogue with the viewer.”
Sayaka
