Interview: Yoichiro Sakai
Luca Curci talks with Yoichiro Sakai during FUTURE LANDSCAPES, third appointment of BORDERS Art Fair 2020, at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

“I am a photographer from Japan. I have some awards and exhibitions in Tokyo, London and more cities passed days but now active on online exhibitions. My forte is looking for and shot a beautiful moment just like painting by my passion and clear heart”.

Luca Curci – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
Yoichiro Sakai – More than ten years have passed since I took pictures, and I have been passionate about photography since I was a child. Therefore, I’m a graduate of Nihon University in the department of photography. Then, I have a special experience. I won the first prize by EWAAC in the international art competition in 2015. Thanks to that, now I am starting as a photographer and artist all over the world now.

LC – Which subject are you working on?
YS – I specialize in landscape photography and also taking pictures of airplanes. Especially now, while we cannot go to travel due to the coronavirus, landscape photography has a special meaning. So, you can see the place of your memories, know the undeveloped region, and empathize with the photographer. I create the works from the most beautiful moment in terms of what I had visited there. Of course, it is also including my emotion that I had there. Therefore, I provide photo works for you that will decorate your room and allow you to spend a more elegant time.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
YS – It is sometimes difficult problems that I can take in or take out of the composition of photography. And more, thinking about where I want to focus and how just focus interval or out of focus as the works. However, all of the time there depends on what I want to say and what I want to tell you anytime.

LC – Are your artworks focused on a specific theme?
YS – Of course, I specialize in two kinds of photography about landscape and airplane. In any case, when the time of sky colors, in other words, in the morning or evening, it is easy to appeal to my emotions, so I put special effort into the theme. Thanks to that, I get up so early in the morning and can drive before the sunrise or after the sunset.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
YS – This year, I am working online by using the internet. Digital photography can provide real works even if online. Therefore, I can take advantage of the benefits of it. So, my work is busy more than last year. On the other hand, I didn’t need to transportation fee to go to the exhibition place due to changing the online work, so I can allow paying more application fees to several competition or exhibition fees to some galleries.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the festival or as a part of preexisting works?
YS – I chose from existing works for this exhibition. Sometimes it’s important to release new works but I think that it is worth choosing the same work everywhere and being exhibited for a long time. I published a photo book by myself this spring. So, I want to have the experience of winning or exhibiting all included works here.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
YS – This time, the theme was “Future Landscapes”. When I listened to it, I had an image of a departure. So, I was looking for as same as the work. Then, I selected “Be dyed red by the natural beauty”. I thought that the scene of going out to the ocean using a small ship on the evening of the last day’s 2019. It seems that their sailors will get a great memory than anyone else. Now, we are necessarily fighting the coronavirus but we should keep dreams of life and we should think a new era like this work.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
YS – Of course, I appreciate your staff’s efforts. When I was winning another online competition, your coordinator sent an email to me and she invited me to this international art fair. I received your good services and care by email despite I didn’t go to Italy while I cannot go abroad due to coronavirus.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
YS – Your group seems to be doing a lot of things. I would be happy if I have a chance to participate in other exhibitions with you. I will glad if you operate selling my photo book and a lot of the artist’s portfolio.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
YS – It looks like that. They seem to be exchange time on the first day of the exhibition. However, while the coronavirus is infected, I hope to see it from your website and more talking between an applicator and an artist using the video talk system. And more it is too good, create an opportunity by using the internet, for example, the applicator pay for the gallery staff and they should move the camera for it in your gallery.