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Born in 1967, Tokyo, JAPAN.
After graduating from a photograph course of Tama Art College,
he worked in Sato Photo., co.ltd, as aprofessional cameraman.
When he was young he had the desire to visit and look the great
Russian nature with his own eyes, after he saw the movie titled
Doctor Gibago, written by Pasternark. He attained this
wish in 1991, but he was inspired more by the people than the
nature in his first trip to Russia. His inspiration, motivation
and creativity as a photo-artist woke up by the face of the Russian,
which reflects their humanities.
Currently, his photographing trip to Russia have reached 14
times.
He is nither photo-journalist nor photo-reportage writer. He
is, so to speak, a photo portrait artist. But we can feel very
primitive, spontaneous and honest essential humanity of his object
from all of his works which we can not find it from formal portrait.
Whenever he takes a photo of Russian people, he always accompanies
an interpreteter. He makes conversation with the people before
he aims the camera towards them. He never press the shutter before
he makes any emotional or spiritual exchange with the objects.
Therefore, it mostly takes two or three hours to shoot one photo.
And he never presses the shutter many times to a same objects.
He usually takes two or three shoots. He never misses the best
moment of their emotional expression.
In the end of summer, year
2000, he was unforrtunately assaulted by young gang at subway
station in Moscow. He was stolen all of his cameras and money,
and received a mortal wound. His skull was broken. Russian government
and Moscow city immediately decided to transport him to a authoriative
surgery hospital in Paris, to treat his damaged brain. He hovered
between life and death for 3 months. By miracle, he was able
to escape from death.
While he was in the hospital, he told me again and again, “I
still love Russian, I want to visit Russia again, when I recover”
His monochrome art will contribute to not only the culture exchange
but also to have a better international understanding Russia
and Japan.
Hideho
Kobayashi
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