Comments on: anton kusters – eye of the beholder https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/ burn is an online feature for emerging photographers worldwide. burn is curated by magnum photographer david alan harvey. Sat, 18 Jun 2016 10:45:44 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 By: jyuenger » . https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-96256 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:47:27 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-96256 […] Yakuza, by Anton Kusters. Burn. […]

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By: jenny lynn walker https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-47257 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:42:20 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-47257 What an opening statement! I love the softness in your images. And I’ll bet everyone, all your subjects included, will love them too! All of that and more is very impressive! That’s a fascinating look in the eye in that first image and wondering if you took more in the car – one more focused on that facial expression? I can’t wait to see more! They’re almost TOO perfect – how about a little camera shake in there! I think I’d get it in quite naturally! ; )

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By: Japanese culture « What is the price of experience? https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-46065 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:32:37 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-46065 […] “Eye of the Beholder” by Anton Kusters: “I’m in the front seat, riding with Soichiro in his car on his […]

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By: Reimar https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-46003 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:02:44 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-46003 Hi Anton!
Just a short note here: Today I watched a film about Swiss photographer Alberto Venzago. Venzago is one of my favourite photographers, but I didn’t know he did a story about the Yakuza in b&w which he published as a book in 1990.
The other day I came across the book “The Firm” by Jocelyyn Bain Hogg, which reminded me of your project.
Did you get influenced or inspired by these two photographers?
Anton, your projects is challenging and certainly worth all this effort. Good luck! Looking forward to see more!
Best
Reimar

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By: eye of the beholder | anton kusters https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-45787 Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:41:26 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-45787 […] and on burn magazine, i will regularly provide visual and textual accounts of our adventures. Published on June 26, […]

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By: eduardo sepulveda https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44923 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:50:55 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44923 Anton,

Het is me een groot genoegen je werk te zien, vooral ‘I see a ghost’.
Het is cool jou licht op je nieuwe verhalen te zien.
Knuffels uit Chili!!

Eduardo

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By: Ed Cheong https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44556 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:19:56 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44556 Love this series very very much
cant wait for the next installment..
I so wanna be in your shoes documenting this
want so badly!!!
and of course awesome pictures!!!
Super cool!
Keep going Anton!
Cheers

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By: mustafah abdulaziz https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44391 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:00:19 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44391 really enjoyed this. looking forward to seeing more, anton. best of luck.

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44344 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:44:31 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44344 ….ice brings me the “chills”…
i can sense your fear… im afraid too…
so far all of your photos “scare” the poop out of me…
I like that… i really do…
thank u for doing this….
that was “hot”…
but now its “huge”…
greetings from LA…. 111 degrees today in san bernardino, ca….
:)

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44342 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:41:14 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44342 ….ice….

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44341 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:40:55 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44341 …very, very thin….

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44340 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:40:27 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44340 … the reason is…
that you are “dancing”… on thin ice…

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44339 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:38:59 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44339 anton….
I,
loves it……….:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

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By: anton https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44152 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:47:29 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44152 johan –

yes you are right that i would never put myself or my family (or anyone else for that matter) in danger for the sake of the project. i will not hesitate: the very instant that this is jeopardized i will pull out.

that said, the danger is very real. The danger isn’t any less because the interaction is very respectful and organized, or because it isn’t visible all the time. I am working with people who have been in prison for more than 20 years for capital crimes, people who have an entirely different moral code. people who are continually trained in various forms of combat, armed and unarmed. People who do not hesitate for one second. No, please don’t get me wrong, this is not a game at all. the fact that i am a westerner, only buys me a very very limited amount of credit here. I have no position of power or influence whatsoever.

It’s a completely different form, shape or situation compared to south america… i don’t think it’s going to get us anywhere to try compare the two, if that were even possible.

And finally: yes you analyzed it very well here: the access to the group or individual inner psyche is exactly what i hope will make this a strong story. the reflective states, the off guard moments…. those are the ones i am set on capturing, having my sixth sense (if i have one at all) turned on as full as i can…

thanks for the in depth analysis johan…

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By: Martin Brink https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44150 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:41:55 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44150 I love this project and think it’s one of the more interesting to follow at the moment.
The only thing I doesn’t like is the technique. I know you have your style tech wise, but when getting access to something like this I want to see as much as possible. Blur, black shadows etc doesn’t do it for me in this particular project. I don’t know if you have your reasons for this though..

Cheers

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By: Richard https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44143 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:07:00 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44143 Great subject, great pictures.

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By: Johan Jaansen https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44140 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:34:38 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44140 To be honest, I think that the notion of danger in this project has been blown a little out of proportion. I just couldn’t imagine that this project would infringe on the personal safety of the photographer – Anton. Yes, the Yakuza sounds dangerous to outsiders, but from the tidbits that I have read about them, I find it hard to believe that they would harm an outsider/westerner who is in a position of influence like Anton is/will be. This would certainly give their organisation a bad reputation, i.e bad for business. I think violence would be restricted to other groups of mafia.

The last thing they would want would be to brought under the spotlight from the media for any action like this. After travelling and drinking in South American cities at night, I can vouch that yes I definetely felt as though I was in precarious situations. Not trying some pathetic frat boy show of markmanship here, but just trying to put things into perspective. Also Japan has one of the strongest reputations for safety. Anyway, I hope that Anton doesn’t play on this notion of danger to himself with his finished artist statement, because I for one won’t buy that concept.

With respect to the photographs, I am really enjoying the muted colors. Numbers 1&3 are spectacular shots. I especially like the first with the boss in the car. Anton has really managed to capture a special gesture or facial expression. This is really a classy photo. I would much prefer photographs of the members in everyday settings, alongside law abiding citizens as this would be interesting to see this overall juxtaposition. Given the cultural differences (intrusion) it maybe difficult to procure shots of them with family. A 24-7 short essay, a day in the life would certainly have an interesting theme.

#2 I skipped almost immediately. Probably a necessary filler as it essential to the overall narrative, especially given the introduction provided here, but it screams of a cliche. In another sense, I was half expecting a similar photograph, like a full body shot of a Yakuza member displaying his body art.

#3 An inventive camera angle gives the viewer unprecedented access. This shot has a formidable boding about it, with the members on their way to a group meeting. Great timing allowed the positioning of so many faces in so many corners. I can count three faces in the back right corner.

Actually one of my favorite projects was Gilden’s portrayal of the yakuza. That series was in some ways better than his New York work, because a) he did it in such a short period of time b) there wasn’t the overuse of shock value that he employed with his American shots. I particularly liked the photo of the guy getting his haircut and the dye looked like blood. It will be an interesting sidenote to see how this project develops/compares to Gildens, in addition to the obvious difference of the choice of medium: black and white vs color.

In conclusion, I believe that the ultimate success of this project will lie in the mundane. Simple gestures, capturing the subjects offguard in a reflective state, as this will give the viewer access to the inner psyche of the group. Of course this would be incredibly difficult and will require intuition and sixth sense from Anton, but #1 has already demonstrated that he has those skills in his camera bag. If the project incorporates too many shots like #2, then I could see myself tuning out very quickly. These kind of shots have already been very closely aligned with the Yakuza and it would be a welcome surprise if they played a minor part in the overall ‘production’. But that is just me…

JJ

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By: Paul O'Mara https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44134 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:28:28 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44134 Anton– a wonderful project. It scares me to death to think that you are hanging with this crowd. These guys are so brazen to agree for you to share their world. Wow! Be careful I have seen Robert DiNero movies and he’s a mean mother so I can only imagine that the Nissan version is a real serious crowd.

The images are really, real. For this photographer, it gives me the heebee jeebies just to imagine myself there.

Buen Suerte…viajes seguros

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By: Jim Powers https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44132 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:19:08 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44132 Thanks, Anton. I guess I misunderstood that the project was dangerous somehow. Good to know it’s not.

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By: david bowen https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/06/eye-of-the-beholder-by-anton-kusters/#comment-44129 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:44:17 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3358#comment-44129 jim

anton is working to a ‘double thumbs’ up method.. as mentioned before..
early days and i guess access has been the challenge, although i am certain he’ll expand. :o)

stoopid one.

i F**king LOVE that you dig what anton is doing.

AND whoever asked about the colour pallet.. great GREAT question which bought about a superb response which bought about a shifted perspective for me..
mood boards? gotcha.. knowing your work, anton, it makes perfect sense.

anton

it’s been great getting the vibe of your work in progress through conversation.. and i think.. you are making it look so very easy my friend.. such a talent to illustrate through the less obvious means like the tie n eye.. veerrry subtle and idiosyncratic.. not in the least what one would expect to see.

knowing how many trips you have so far undertaken.. how long in the planning and how great the financial and personal debt incurred by this project already..

i really love that you are accepting the idea of finding only a small handful of images on each trip over to japan.. from the outset you have decided that this is going to take a few years and i have nothing but respect for that lack of hit-and-run approach.

of course – looking forward to more and obviously looking forward to entertaining you in bergen..

if only i could find a safe way into the balkans mafia.. but, as we chatted on wednesday about.. it’s just too fresh.. to young a scene and too dangerous..

keep on my friend.

david.

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