We took a virtual trip to Tokyo and got to know the work of yet another amazing photographer. His name is Katsuki Tanaka and here are 9 things we need to know about him and his phenomenal work:
- He attended a vocational school to become a beautician. When he started working as a beautician, he would take care of make up, hair, style before shooting his creations.
- He grew up watching movies and developed his photographic instinct by wanting to freeze his favorite scenes. That’s how he knew he was going to be a photographer.
- He doesn’t have a mentor
- His main inspiration is his everyday life. “I will take off with my imagination from everyday things.” He reveals. “I want to create the fantasy world I envisioned when I was a kid.”
- He is heavily moved by the concept of Eros and his many different facets.”I think of Eros as pure art. To me, it is stimulated by the realization of the world you imagined as a kid: all the fashion, art and creativity I dreamed of experiencing in my adult life becomes pure Eros when I see it in front of me. It is necessary to think of it not only as a merely ‘erotic’ and material way but as a wider and multifaceted idea.”
- If he could pick 3 main photographers to collab with they would be Terry Richardson Richard Kern Ryan McGinley
- With his work, he wishes to shed a light on the Japanese photography and creative community and its uniqueness. “I want people all over the world to see and experience how wonderful and rich the Japanese art scene is.”
- He wants to convey a message of “genderlessness’ in fashion. “There is no need to separate men and women.” He claims! “Art and fashion symbolize freedom of expression and that’s what I want to champion and yell at the top of my lungs: “Freedom of expression!”
- He thinks Japan has an “old way of thinking” sexuality, fashion and even art. “But maybe that is also good.” He adds. “It could be freeing and liberating to disrupt old ways of conceiving these things with your art!”
