Saturday 27 June to Friday 31 July 2009

Good Ordinary People (Main Bar)
Morocco and Brazil (Sushi Bar)

Good Ordinary People (Main Bar)

"Travelling to the Matsubara shopping mall in Yokohama and taking pictures of the people on the street was as exciting as visiting another country. The first person I met was Mr. Ogawa, an ex-gambler. His self-indulgent lifestyle had made him very ill until he finally decided to quit and become a bookseller.
Everyone has his or her own story to tell. And the people in the shopping mall really seemed to have stories to tell. That was why I visited a dozen times in five years.
What I discovered in Matsubara Shopping mall is that the people there seemed happier than the other people I knew. At the time, I was a struggling photographer in the fashion industry where everyone was trying to look different and superior to others.
I felt out of place being in that kind of industry, but I felt connected to the people in the Matsubara shopping mall. They seemed far more sincere and happy than most people in the industry."

Morocco and Brazil (Sushi Bar)

"Sometimes in life, you can encounter scenery so incredible it makes you wonder how the earth was created. That is Morocco.
I usually travel on my own and people sometimes ask me whether traveling to these dangerous countries scares me or not. My answer has always been "no". In Brazil, I got mugged twice in one week; first they took my wallet, then they took my camera. Luckily, they didn't take my life. When people ask me the same question next time, I'd hesitate to say "no". But I'll keep travelling, and keep taking photos.
I have travelled from the deserts of the Sahara to the jungles of Cambodia to the bright lights of Paris. I have trekked to distant lands in an effort to capture the powerful emotions that comprise the human situation. In the process I have learned not only about the peoples of the world, but about myself."

Yuki Matsuoka

Yuki Matsuoka began his career as a photographer in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has worked in New York, London, and most recently has returned to his home country to work as a freelance commercial photographer in Tokyo.

The Exhibition Committee