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1_WALL

13th “1_WALL” Photography

Today, modes of artistic expression are becoming increasingly diversified, and together with artists who wholeheartedly seek to express themselves in new ways, Guardian Garden aspires to be a venue for considering new expressive modes. This aspiration derives from our hope that artists will overcome any hurdles in their way by offering them a gallery wall where they can express themselves freely, through their works.

Judging Results

Final Round of Judging

Grand Prize

"I go, the moment I touch it"
Masashi Urashiba
Born in 1988 / Graduated from Visual Arts Osaka with a concentration in Photography.
To be honest with myself, I wanted to photograph beautiful things. Beautiful things make me want to touch them. Only after touching them do I see them. When I can’t touch them, I see them, too.

Final Round of JudgingWed. November 04, 2015

The third and final round of judging is conducted open to public viewing. The six finalists give presentations of their works on display and their plans for their solo exhibition if they win the Grand Prize. The judges discuss the merits of each finalist’s portfolio, works shown, and presentation, and together decide the winner of the Grand Prize.

“1_WALL” ExhibitionMon. October 26, 2015 - Thu. November 19, 2015

A group exhibition is held spotlighting the six finalists to emerge from the second round of judging. Each finalist is allocated a gallery wall (approx. 3.85m wide and 2.5m high) to display their works. Besides the works themselves, the judges also take into consideration how the finalists use their overall display space and how they show their works.

Success in the Second Round of Judging

Finalists

  • "I go, the moment I touch it"

    Masashi Urashiba

    Born in 1988

    Graduated from Visual Arts Osaka with a concentration in Photography.

  • "Things that have to be"

    Hiroki Urabe

    Born in 1985

  • "To get close to that day fading into the distanc"

    Mika Sato

    Born in 1982

    Completed a postgraduate degree in Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts.

  • "World Vacuum"

    Saeka Somei

    Born in 1994

    Currently studying Imaging Arts and Sciences at Musashino Art University.

  • "Changing, there"

    Koichi Mitsuoka

    Born in 1990

    Currently studying for an advanced degree in Oil Painting at Tokyo University of the Arts.

  • "Roots"

    Russell Scott Peagler

    Born in 1980

    Master of Department of International Politics.

Judges’ Encouragement Prizes

  • "hashish nap"

    Yuiga

    Selected by Kotaro Iizawa

  • "vacant"

    Masamitsu Magome

    Selected by Atsuki Kikuchi

  • "Dot' n' Dot"

    Tozawa Yuji

    Selected by Ryudai Takano

  • "sacrifice"

    Nobuyasu Yamazaki

    Selected by Sayaka Takahashi

  • "Our days in the dark"

    Chiawen Lin

    Selected by Arata Dodo

Second Round of JudgingTue. July 28, 2015

A portfolio review is held one-on-one between each entrant and a judge. Here, the entrants are given the opportunity to directly explain the motives behind their works or their production process. After all portfolio reviews are completed, the judges assemble to discuss their assessments and select the six finalists.

Success in First Round of Judging

Entrants Who Successfully Passed the First Round of Judging

  • Manami Uetake
  • Yoshinobu Uchida
  • Masashi Urashiba
  • Hiroki Urabe
  • Yusuke Endo
  • Takuya Oishi
  • Ono Junya
  • Kazui Sayaka
  • Ai Kinosita
  • Kenji Kobayashi
  • Yusuke Saitoh
  • Mika Sato
  • Monami Shimada
  • Sugano Yukie
  • Youhei Suzukawa
  • Saeka Somei
  • Yuriko Takizawa
  • Satoshi Tearada
  • Tozawa Yuji
  • Jun Nakagawa
  • Aika Nishiyama
  • Yasuko Furukawa
  • Masamitsu Magome
  • Koichi Mitsuoka
  • Nobuyasu Yamazaki
  • Yuiga
  • Akio Yoshizawa
  • Russell Scott Peagler
  • Lilly RiE
  • Chiawen Lin

Portfolio JudgingTue. July 21, 2015 - Mon. July 27, 2015

Judging is performed based on entrants’ work files and data. The judges, all prominent in their respective fields – design, illustration, photography, etc. – plus members of the secretariat, render their judgments from various perspectives. Thirty entrants are selected to continue on to the second round of judging.

Grand Prize Award Privileges

Solo Exhibition at Guardian Garden

Scheduled to take place in July,2016

The Grand Prize winner receives the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at Guardian Garden roughly one year after the “1_WALL” Exhibition. The gallery is provided free of charge. Publicity assistance, including support in preparing a show leaflet, is also provided. A pamphlet will be produced and sold for the solo exhibition at Guardian Garden.

THE SECOND STAGE at GG

This series of exhibitions features former participants in “1_WALL” competitions who passed the first round of judging. All entrants meeting those qualifications are eligible. To date, exhibitions have focused attention on up-and-coming art directors, graphic designers, illustrators and photographers.

The Second Stage at GG Archive

ARTIST Page

Finalists in “1_WALL” competitions (entrants who have passed the first and second rounds of judging) can have their name registered on the ARTIST page accessible on the Guardian Garden website.

ARTIST page

Judges

  • Kotaro Iizawa

    (Photography Critic)

    Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1954. In 1984 he completed a PhD in Art at the University of Tsukuba. From 1990 to 1994 he served as editor-in-chief of the quarterly photography magazine “Deja-vu.” His recent publications include “Photobooks make the history!” (CMS) and “Archive of Contemporary Japanese Photography 2011-2013” (Seikyusha).

  • Atsuki Kikuchi

    (Graphic designer)

    Born in Tokyo in 1974. He attended Musashino Art University, majoring in Sculpture. In 2000 he established Bluemark, and then in 2011 he founded his own design studio. His work areas include brand planning, logo design, signage planning, editorial design, etc., with a strong focus on art, fashion and architecture. He is also the principal of Book Peak, planners and publishers of art books.

  • Ryudai Takano

    (Photographer)

    Born in 1963. His major photo books are IN MY ROOM (Sokyusha), How to contact a man (Akio Nagasawa Publishing), Kasubaba (Daiwa Press), α (SUPER DELUXE) and Manazashi ni fureru (Suiseisha). In 2006 he won a Kimura Ihei Award in Photography.

  • Sayaka Takahashi

    (Gallery Director of PGI)

    Born in Chiba Prefecture. Studied Literature at Waseda University under Osamu Hiraki. In 1998, she participated as a volunteer at the Higashikawa International Photo Festival, and from 2003 through 2010 served as the festival’s on-site production leader and assistant director. Since the winter of 1998, she has been involved in work relating to photographic preservation and display at Photo Gallery International (PGI), where as Director she is in charge of exhibition planning and operation.

  • Arata Dodo

    (Photographer)

    Born in Osaka in 1974, raised in Nara. In 1995 he won the “Konica Introducing New Generation Photographers” Grand Prix. In 1999 he published the photo book “Ways of Shanghai 1994-1999” (Mole Press). In 2000 he received the Photographic Society of Japan’s Newcomer’s Award; in 2004, the New York ADC Jury’s Special Award; and in 2009, the Japan Advertising Photographers’ Association Outstanding Advertising Award. In 2012 he published the photo book “TAIGAN” (AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc.) and received the 38th Kimura Ihei Award.

“1_WALL” Archive