Yo Imae

Statement:

Seeing into darkness is clarity.
-Tao Te Ching

Perception is a key for our lives. Normally we use our five senses to communicate with other people. Communication could be described as the exchange of perception. In my photographic practice, first, I meet and talk to people face to face. This is important because of my belief that having interactions with other people is essential to approach reality and understanding, and also it is logically necessary for me to stimulate the functions of my body. As it advances, technology could dull the stimulation of our senses. For example, the internet has been turning many real interactions into virtual interactions: we can do so many things through the internet without actually meeting someone in person. However, it seems to me that people get more isolated and less susceptive partly because of this. To avoid as much as possible becoming isolated and less susceptive, I as a human being and as a photographer, would like to make direct interactions on the street, and with and through the people I meet, I hope to form some mutual perception. I hope to use my basic tools as a human, everything I have inside and out, and my camera as a tool to mediate this exchange of perception, and serve as another tool for clarity. Through my camera, I hope to take whatever I perceive as clearly as possible, and feel the value of interaction. I simply want to react to the world as far as possible, and photograph subtle perception which I think leads me to some degree of clarity. By being on one street and taking pictures of people also on the street, I am interested in what we perceive, and the connection we make. More than individuality, or different looking people, I am interested in displaying unity. Through a simple interaction, I hope that my pictures display some commonalities that can be perceived by everyone.

Bio:

Yo Imae received a Certificate in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism from the International Center of Photography in 2007. His work has been shown internationally at Photography Now 2011 (The Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY), Nikon Salon (Tokyo, Japan), Descubrimientos PHOTOESPANA (Madrid, Spain), and the New York Photo Festival, among others. His work has appeared in SEKAI Magazine and American Photo, among others. 

Artist’s Website: yoimae.com