honorable mention
Mitsu Yoshikawa united states
title
Pictures at an Exhibition
(Portraits of 2020)
I have experienced many unusual things in my lifetime, but they do not equal what I have experienced in 2020.
During the past three years, democracy has been pushed to the edge, day by day. The nation has divided into two opposing sides; the Federal government has operated as if it is a personal interest organization for the President; money has been spent illegally; humans have been treated with the lowest level of care. Our history tells us the United States was built by immigrant people. Our government ignores these facts. Meanwhile, the distance between rich and poor families is getting wider and wider. Underneath a paper-thin layer of civility, I feel racism.
Near the beginning of this year, deadly Covid-19 reached the USA and killed thousands of people. Federal government officials ignored warnings and the President told lies to the nation as we lost many, many people. Immigrant kids have been kept in cages—some of them are lost and will never see their families again. This government does not have a sense of humanity.
I was diagnosed with emphysema. I don’t have much energy these days and my thoughts have turned more inward than to the outside.
I’m not a pessimistic person, so at the end of this tunnel, I can see a hopeful light. This body of work was created during the last 10 months, reflecting what I have felt surrounding me. It is a Personal Portrait: from inside my own mind about where I am.
He photographs nature and wilderness scenes of the San Francisco Bay Area with large format camera also started using digital photography recently.
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entry description
Pictures at an Exhibition(Portraits of 2020)
I have experienced many unusual things in my lifetime, but they do not equal what I have experienced in 2020.
During the past three years, democracy has been pushed to the edge, day by day. The nation has divided into two opposing sides; the Federal government has operated as if it is a personal interest organization for the President; money has been spent illegally; humans have been treated with the lowest level of care. Our history tells us the United States was built by immigrant people. Our government ignores these facts. Meanwhile, the distance between rich and poor families is getting wider and wider. Underneath a paper-thin layer of civility, I feel racism.
Near the beginning of this year, deadly Covid-19 reached the USA and killed thousands of people. Federal government officials ignored warnings and the President told lies to the nation as we lost many, many people. Immigrant kids have been kept in cages—some of them are lost and will never see their families again. This government does not have a sense of humanity.
I was diagnosed with emphysema. I don’t have much energy these days and my thoughts have turned more inward than to the outside.
I’m not a pessimistic person, so at the end of this tunnel, I can see a hopeful light. This body of work was created during the last 10 months, reflecting what I have felt surrounding me. It is a Personal Portrait: from inside my own mind about where I am.
about the photographer
Mitsu Yoshikawa was born in Japan. He studied photography under Peter Stackpole at Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and moved to New York City where he worked for Yomiuri Newspaper and as a freelance photographer. After several years, he accepted a nine-month assignment taking photographs in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka for airline travel magazines. Following that assignment, he returned to Tokyo, where he continued to work as a freelance photographer and expanded his experience to include photographing, editing and publishing yearbooks.He photographs nature and wilderness scenes of the San Francisco Bay Area with large format camera also started using digital photography recently.
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