Kenjiro Asaki

Biography

Kenjiro Asaki / Progressive Art Photographer

He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Self-taught in photography, he became a test photographer for Panasonic compact cameras in 2008, and began freelancing the following year.
He mainly captures fantastic underwater landscapes and dangerous landscapes lurking in the snowy mountains in winter with his unique sensibility. He believes in expressing his work through one-shot photography without relying on compositing, as he values his feelings for the scene and composition when he presses the shutter of each image. In fields other than natural landscapes, he pursues a variety of expressions of fireworks, a traditional Japanese culture.

Kenjiro Asaki has received numerous awards and accolades in photo contests in Japan, Europe, and other countries. Recently, he was selected to represent Japan in the Nature category of the World Photographic Cup, a world competition in the professional photography industry.
In recent years, he has exhibited his work in European countries such as Germany, Italy, and the UK, and since last year, he has been actively participating in exhibitions in the Metaverse space.
In the commercial field, he is an exclusive photographer for "amana images", providing mainly landscape photography.

What’s your background?

I have been playing guitar since childhood with the goal of making a living as a musician. By the time I was 20 years old, I had become obsessed with progressive jazz, drawing from a variety of musical influences. However, the reality was that progressive rock and progressive jazz music was not attracting audiences and sales in the Japanese music industry, and it was very difficult to make a living, so I decided not to pursue music as a livelihood. After that, I worked as a semiconductor circuit designer, architectural designer, and other designers, while skin diving and mountain climbing as hobbies.

And one day, I met someone in Panasonic's development and advertising department who recognized my talent for photography as a hobby, and that was the beginning of my photography career. At the same time, I actively entered my work in contests, mainly natural landscapes, which are my forte, in order to confirm the evaluation of my own work.

Although I failed to express myself as a musician, the underwater world and the world of snow and ice, which I was familiar with before I entered the world of photography, have been a great help in my expressive activities and continue to support my passion for photography.

What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?

I have exhibited and entered many contests exclusively for photographers and have had many results. To receive the Collectors Art Prize as a photographer alongside so many other artists in different fields, which was triggered by the invitation and exhibition by the Contemporary Art Collectors, is a very meaningful and valuable experience in my career so far, and I am very happy that it will lead to more success in the future.

What do you think is the role of art in the world today?

This is a very difficult question. The question is too large in scale for me to answer, since art has a lot of influence on society and expresses itself in many genres.

If I were to limit my comment to the field of photography, I would say that the camera is an expressive device that is directly connected to the ever-evolving state-of-the-art technology. The same applies to printers and paper for printing, recording media for storing image data, and monitors for projecting images.

Having worked as a circuit designer in the past, I feel that it is very meaningful for me to preserve photographs as works of art while constantly being in touch with such cutting-edge technology, and to contribute to the technological improvement of electronic device makers.

What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?

This is similar to the answer to the previous question, but to be honest, I am not working to change anything through art. It is too much of a burden for me to speak out.

I would venture to say that I prefer that the change occur in a natural way, rather than by intention.

What are your most significant professional achievements?

I have received many awards, but the most memorable one for me personally was in 2015 when I entered a major photo competition in Japan called "Step" and won the Gold Award, the top prize out of over 10,000 entries.

This award gave me confidence and has been the driving force behind my subsequent activities.

What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?

My work is filled with various scenes at the moment of shooting, such as seasons, temperatures, weather, and tension, so I want viewers to pay attention to the charm of nature and the beauty of details that can be felt from the entire image.

I also want to remain a pure photographer. Therefore, I create my work without relying on extreme processing, editing, or compositing, etc. If you look at my work based on this premise, I think you will be able to understand and appreciate my work, which at first glance may appear to be digital art.

What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?

I would like the younger generation to be actively involved in music and art.

Also, music equipment, photographic equipment, and art materials continue to evolve and are becoming more and more convenient and practical, so I would like them to actively incorporate these things while cutting out the unnecessary and finding their own direction and refining their individuality.

In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years?

I do not wish to make any major changes in my environment, so I would like to continue with my current situation and gradually build my name recognition and career by presenting the world with the nature and works that I should be photographing.

However, I would like to hold a larger solo exhibition and release a photo book in the near future, which I had planned to do during the pandemic.

Country Japan

Website https://asaki.blue/