“The Second Stage at GG” is a series of exhibitions presenting more recent works by former finalists in the gallery’s open competitions launched to promote budding artists in various fields. The works shown in “The Second Stage at GG” exhibitions are all created after they entered their respective fields as professional artists.

The 36th exhibition in “The Second Stage at GG” series – to take place from August 19 (Tue) through September 5 (Fri) – introduces the works of photographer Yoichi Nagano. The featured photos are all about food, as suggested by Nagano’s chosen subtitle: “Cut the daikon slices about 4 centimeters thick, and….”

Yoichi Nagano was a finalist in the “NEO DOCUMENTARY” photographic competition organized by Guardian Garden in 1998, where he exhibited portrait photos of teenagers living on the various islands of Okinawa and the nearby Amami archipelago. Since then, he has continued to photograph the landscapes of Japan’s remote islands and the people who live on them. Today Nagano has expanded his sphere of professional activities to include the magazine “ku:nel” (Magazine House), advertising, cinema, etc.

Nagano says he has never consciously focused on taking photos of food. Then last year his photos featured in “ku:nel” caught the attention of an editor who approached Nagano with a request to include his work in a special publication of food-related photos, where he was eager to introduce Nagano as a “food photographer.” The offer, coming at a time when private food photos are so commonly exchanged through social networks, induced Nagano to rethink his approach to food photography.

Nagano says his food photos are portraits, and he takes them from a natural distance without altering the items before him. His photos are more than expressions of how delicious the food might be; the tableware on which they are served, the texture of the table, and the ambient light and shadow together expand the parameters of reality and make the viewer imagine the time when the food was prepared and the lives of the people who made it.

We eagerly invite you to come to Guardian Garden to see this exhibition of Yoichi Nagano’s newest exploration of his art.

Guardian Garden