Ken Kamara

Tokyo Unmasked

“Tokyo Unmasked” saw the light when, after days of wandering around the streets of Tokyo with the intent of meeting “real Japan”, I realized that the biggest challenge a foreigner has is to meet its inhabitants. Truth be told, one cannot avoid to notice how comfortable Tokyoites are in the surgical masks they wear in public. And even though hygiene seems to be the reason behind this habit, my gut told me this cannot be the case, not in all the circumstances. I returned to the streets of Tokyo with the intent of asking passers by to take off their masks and let me take a portrait of them. The great majority declined, but some showed trust, and accepted to unveil their face to me and to the audience. In the intimate process of getting closer with the lens to their naked face, while having them sitting on a stool at the edge of a sidewalk under the eyes of everybody, I realized what a big deal personal space is in Japanese culture, and how useful a mask can be to protect one’s own identity. In its race for technological supremacy, in all its methodical organization, meticulousness and politeness – the human Tokyo is happy to hide. All of the subjects are portrayed both MASKED and unMASKED, and displayed in a series of dyptics to be read vertically, as the Japanese language can be too. The exception is an old fisherman. He was wearing no mask and unmasked he was depitcted. Because he showed no fears, neither to the camera nor to life.

 

 

Bio

Ken Kamara is an English photographer active in the fields of art, fashion, music and advertising. After years of artistic search he found his voice in portraiture, as an unrivaled means to connect with humanity, unlock its hidden sides and make them visible to whom still cannot see. Like for TOKYO un MASKED, his portraits are all photographed using film and his beloved twin-lens reflex camera dated 1956.

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Ken Kamara

17 thoughts on “Ken Kamara – Tokyo Unmasked”

  1. @ KEN, great work! Always interesting to see a serie of portraits like this one :)
    About the fisherman: He works every single day sorround by mother nature, fresh air, water and the smell of salty ocean… The rest, live full-time in “the jungle”…

    P.

  2. Having lived in Tokyo for some years, my experience is that, when a foreigner approaches someone to ask for directions, many Japanese simply keep on walking, masks or no masks — or start walking away faster: but that is simply their consternation or embarrassment at not speaking English. However, as soon as they saw that I was asking for directions in Japanese, people kindly took pains to respond at length in giving directions, and many started a conversation.

    So, were you approaching your subjects in English or Japanese? Even if it was Japanese, I don’t really feel that most people in Japan, or elsewhere in urban environments, would necessarily want to stop to pose for a photograph, mask or no mask. Japanese usually wear these masks when they have a cold, out of consideration to others, in their offices and on the fully packed rush-hour subway trains. I simply don’t think it’s a matter of private space, though the effect of a few shots of people masked and unmasked does have some effect — but for me, as a viewer, a few frames are sufficient.

    Many things are a matter of context. For example, if you speak Japanese, going to a sushi bar alone can be fun: if you speaks to someone, almost invariably you end up having a conversation — and in a small sushi bar that conversation often extends to most of the bar, with general participation of customers and sushi chefs. No private space there.

  3. IMANTS

    but what do you really think?

    i hope you are well in Tasmania….and the studio is finished etc….

    it’s time for some of your work….work speaks louder than words i’m sure you will agree

    cheers, david

  4. Yes that it what I think there just is no story it is merely a subject depicted with no integration between text and image.

    Photos are nothing spacial as technology allows us all to take fantastic photos which have become a dime a dozen but great stories have become scarce as hen’s teeth.

    Too many photographer allow social media and technology dictate the terms of creativity and merely translate was has been into another form. Time to move on from the obsessive kick starting campaigns, the 4k videos, virtual reality is the only way forward etc thinking and regain control of the creative process.

    My work well I just finished fencing the property, so it was about4 miles of wire, a mile of hinge mesh plus countless posts droppers braces etc and not a photograph taken (I multitask…..one task after another).

    No I just create books as objects and don’t see the need to translate these digitally. I end up with what I have on my site and that is inadequate both visually and in understanding the content presented http://www.etrouko.com

    I like most have to rethink how I use the internet and technology in general, does one chase a wide audience, try to be cutting edge or communicate effectively in smaller communal circles. There is little need to learn photography as craft but I/we do need to learn how to use it.

    I will hop on skype and see what we can do about showing work

    ps I hope the EPF showcases content draws us to new ways of thinking and compelling storytelling

  5. “Photos are nothing spacial as technology allows us all to take fantastic photos which have become a dime a dozen but great stories have become scarce as hen’s teeth.”

    Sorry, but that’s got to be one of the worst sentences ever written, at least on burn. Sounds like the result of a dysfunctional rendezvous between a spellcheck bot and a cliché generator.

  6. Just for you because you are such a wonderful guy………. so what one mistake writing spacial instead of special… Other than that you place too much importance upon yourself

  7. IMANTS

    as always good thinking on your part….yes, let’s Skype soonest…i am home for a bit, so this is a good time….you may be right about virtual reality, yet i am still fascinated by classic imagery…..i do not feel that “fantastic photos are a dime a dozen”….photos that look a lot like fantastic photos are indeed a dime a dozens…yet the subtleties are the difference between good and great…i just came from AIPAD the big photo art fair in New York…some amazing work indeed….i will say that a lot of it was digitally manipulated work…very little “in camera” seeing….that’s ok that’s like painting…still the classic work that was there definitely stood out….

    Ken shoots here with medium format film…on a tripod and very traditional….at the same time i am not so sure his apparently “simple” style has any less validity than something which might appear more complex to create….these were his first impressions of Tokyo…..the mask as a symbol of a culture regardless of it’s practical use…he thought just as carefully about this as you might doing a photoshop combo of images that reflect the way you see things…you two are opposites in the way you want to express….yet, i see Ken’s work as a large mosaic….with no one person standing out..no one picture knocking you off your feet, yet with a poignancy nevertheless in it’s totality….as a mosaic it is indeed abstract in the end…..and very representative of the Japanese veneer….i am sure he would take very different pictures in Oz or in California….

    i am nourishing my trees the way you diagrammed for me a few years ago!! it’s amazing how fast and instant gratification is photography and how slow is a garden or landscaping….you press the shutter and you have the picture…you plant the tree in a certain place and it takes 5 years before you realize it was the wrong place!!

    looking forward to seeing you again on Skype….

    cheers, david

  8. DAVID

    Glad to see that you’re home and “relaxing” — I’m sure you understand why I put quotes around the last word .

    I’m afraid I’m with Imants on Ken’s essay here, because, as I wrote above, it doesn’t reflect reality: while the mask often can be a good metaphor, in this case, the reason for wearing surgical masks simply does not relate to personal space in Japanese culture despite what the photographer felt — that makes it a forced metaphor and a cultural misreading. I would say the same thing even if Ken were a Japanese photographer.

    Imants also stresses that “there is no story.” My own feeling is that photographers think too much about a “story:” there doesn’t always have to be a story — the best example I can think of is the organization of Ralph Gibson’s early books, which are sequenced not as a narrative but as a poem: by form and content coming together. Jörn Colberg has an interesting article, “Why does it always have to be about something?”, that I think is worth reading:

    http://cphmag.com/aboutness/

    More generally, these days it seems to me that there is a lot of creativity, ironically, by photographers who use film. Look at ioulex.com: click “Archive” and then click “Reportage”: see the Parisian pictures that start with the seventh picture (Parisian building) — and then click “Portraits Photography:” interesting and refreshing work.

    Cheers, Mitch

  9. Mitch Alland,
    I think your statement that photographers think too much about story fascinating. I think it’s more likely that most of us do not realize or accept we aren’t capable of creating a photographic body of work. At least one that successfully follows a theme, structure or story. I mean how many of us round here have ever written a novel? Or what about a short story, a newspaper article or bloody hell, an essay since we left school? Very few. Most of us have never even contemplated the idea. It is just too damn hard and involves far too much time from our busy life. But for some reason we think that a photo essay compared to writing is going to be a simple task. But it isn’t, in fact I’ve got a hunch it’s far more difficult.
    Personally I don’t think a body of work will survive time if isn’t held together without a theme.
    Damn it! I should know this better than anyone round here.

    BTW I’m also a great fan of Ralph Gibson’s work and I think you’ll enjoy this short video of Gibson talking about exactly what you’ve mentioned.

    https://youtu.be/Ov5i-T4fOxE

  10. Naw, I don’t care about typos, it was the clichés that occasioned my little joke about your sentence. The former editor and writing instructor in me comes out sometimes, particularly late on a Saturday night. Anyway, I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers or get your dander up. Not a serious amount anyway.

    I mostly agree with the critique of this essay, especially if what Mitch says is true, which I have no reason to doubt. I was always a bit offended by people without some kind of acute condition wearing surgical masks, thinking it was not just rude, but counterproductive, as it seems that the more people try to insulate themselves from bacteria, the more likely they are to get sick. It had never occurred to me that they were people with colds, politely trying to protect others. I love finding out new info like that.

    But as a photographer, or writer for that matter, I don’t love finding out about it after I’ve published it. Bit of a problem then, innit.

    Regarding story, I agree with Mitch that a picture doesn’t always have to be about something, at least not something that can be put into words, or has any kind of accepted “meaning.” Though that said, I think a great photograph is always about something — perhaps color, composition, some kind of feeling, or a combination of phenomena that cannot be articulated. Otherwise it’s just a picture of a thing.

    It’s different, however, when you call something an essay. An essay is about something, by definition.

  11. MW

    You’re right about the word “essay.” Actually, I called this an essay without thinking because I’ve seen some presentations on BURN called that — but some may have been called portfolios or series. In any case, often I prefer photo books and portfolios without any text, unless there is a need to provide context; otherwise, I feel that work of photographers should be able to stand on its own — not a great believer in artist’s statements. Indeed, the early Ralph Gibson books, such as “Somnambulist,” “Déjà Vu,” and “Days at Sea” have no text in them at all; nor does the first Moriyama Daido book I saw, “On the Road,” published around 1988 in Japan.

  12. David
    Don’t get me wrong the new technologies fascinate me but too often it is used to translate what is and brings nothing new to the table. Just a repeat what is successfully communicated in another medium and a promotion to sell the technology. I do like what skateboarders are doing with drones and on person go pro style of cameras, with great editing they become fascinating to watch.

    just came from AIPAD the big photo art fair in New York…
    I like these things, the variety gives the audience a chance to connect with what appeals to them and yet discover the new. Show like this are great for those non manipulated images as they become that visual difference. One person shows get pretty mundane quickly

    .i will say that a lot of it was digitally manipulated work…very little “in camera” seeing….
    My feeling is that if a “in camera” image is to be manipulated one should not lose sight of what was created initially

    As for Ken’s work it just doesn’t come across either on an ipad or the computer screen. I am sure if presented Chuck Close style they could work a lot better.

  13. I think this could be interesting with much more repetition lots and lots of smallish prints spread around could have find wally vibe. I’ve never been to Japan but always give a Japanese person in a mask a double look. I never knew it was for my benefit

  14. I like this collection of portraits. I think there is a story here. I live in Tokyo and have done for the last 14 years with a Japanese wife and family and some of what is said in the artist’s statement is true. The Japanese are very comfortable in their masks. The rational behind it is just as Mitch Allard said: to shield others from colds they may be carrying. A generous act for sure but there is a more selfish one too. I do not know when Ken took the pics but if it was in late winter or early spring they are often worn to stop cedar pollen causing a large part of the populace to suffer from hayfever. This ubiquity led to some ridiculous misunderstandings after the 3/11 Fukushima disaster when it was reported that people were wearing mask to keep out radioactive contamination. They weren’t!
    I don’t believe personal space is that big a deal for most Japanese however, who seem to exist without it day to day. Privacy, from having to explain yourself, a much less cerebral and abstract thing than the idea perhaps formulated in the statement, is valued though and even if often a temporary thing, that can be created with a leap of imagination or determination to ignore observation, the surgical mask can help in this. I have to agree some people seem much too comfortable wearing them even when they don’t need to. Wearing one can become addictive, it can be your clothes, your style and public identity and to not have one may leave the habitual wearer feeling naked. It is also possible that, as if often reported about apathetic Japanese youth, that they just don’t have a story to tell and the mask avoids the need to explain your life one way or the other. To me the masks in Japan are more like the sunglasses on a celeb though: they give privacy and anonymity but are not that deep philosophically. (I’m reading the statement again because it is possible we are in the same page on this and I’m just getting lost in the artistic language). Luckily my wife is pretty normal and doesn’t wear one but many normal people do sometimes, and those that do a lot are definitely telling the beginning of a story when they take that away and show their true face. Nice work.

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