Visit Matsumoto

A Message for the Present and the Future, Captured by a Photographer with Ties to Nagano Prefecture

We are now living in an era that calls us to reexamine the very contours of our existence.

Environmental changes, shifting values, the challenges of passing on our culture, and the small choices we make in our daily lives—it feels as though each of these is quietly asking what kind of impact they will have on the world to come.

This exhibition, “Sustainable World,” is an attempt to reexamine the world through the medium of photography, as if to listen intently to those questions.

Daishi Sato and Akiko Isobe are photographers with ties to Nagano Prefecture. While facing the same world, they each perceive the signs of the future from completely different perspectives.

Daishi Sato remains committed to shooting on location in Alaska to convey the region’s vast natural landscapes exactly as they are. Akiko Isobe, while focusing on people and everyday life, uses her unique sensibility to reveal the values lying deep within her subjects. Although their perspectives differ, both harbor quiet questions about the future.

This exhibition brings their perspectives to life using projectors and digital textile printing technology from Seiko Epson Corporation (hereinafter “Epson”), a global leader across a wide range of creative fields. Experience the possibilities of richer photographic expression with a reduced environmental impact.

[Daishi Sato]

Resides in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Photography, College of Art, Nihon University. After studying under photographer Yoshikazu Shirakawa, he worked at Tsubakuro-so in the Northern Alps to learn about the beauty and harshness of nature. There, he became captivated by the natural landscapes of Shinshu and moved to Azumino City in 2012.Since becoming independent in 2013, he has been active on a global scale, focusing on the theme of conveying “the Earth to which we all belong,” primarily photographing pristine natural landscapes such as those in Alaska. In 2017, he received the Kazuyoshi Miyoshi Award at the Epson Photo Grand Prix. As his life’s work, he pursues photography that focuses on “living” and “making a life.”

[Akiko Isobe]

She spent her teenage years in Matsumoto. She began her creative work while studying in the Department of Film and Video at Musashino Art University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and has exhibited numerous photographic works. In 2000, she was selected for the Philip Morris Art Award and received the Shunji Ito Jury Prize at the Epson Color Imaging Contest. In 2001, she gained attention after being selected for the 18th “Hitotsubo Exhibition” of photography.After graduating from college, she began working as a freelancer. She has worked on magazines, CD covers, advertisements, and more. Currently based in Tokyo, she is active in a wide range of fields, including art direction and film production.