Long before the sense of isolation that comes from self-quarantining became a common feeling to millions of people across the globe, I was making photographs that speak to the experience of being confined to an interior space, looking out on the world beyond the window, with longing.
In Fall of 2014 I was inspired in part by Photoville, to embark on a journey for photography and to reconnect with life, from which I had felt distant since my father had suddenly passed when I was in university, and I pursued a career in the business world in Tokyo and New York. I left all my possessions in storage, gave up my apartment, and journeyed for what became 990 days.
There is a Japanese word, nukumori, a lukewarmness that can refer to the presence of someone who occupied a place, but had departed: an empty chair, a tea cup, a potter’s work table, the inside of a bus or train car, and the many hotels, motels, and guest bedrooms where I found myself. Nothing in the series is staged, and the photographs were made from a sense of longing to connect with the life unfolding beyond the window.
Artist Bios
-
George Nobechi
George Nobechi (Japanese/Canadian b. Tokyo in 1980) graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in History. Upon graduation, he worked in business for over a decade, but decided in 2014 to pursue a pathway into photography.
He journeyed to the southwestern U. S. to learn the craft, and he worked on several photographic projects, including Here. Still.,which received international recognition including: Critical Mass Top 50, Paris Photo Silver Award, and an International Photography Award, 3rd Prize, for this series.
George’s work is represented by A Gallery for Fine Photography in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Patricia Conde Galeria, in Mexico City, Mexico, and is in the collections of the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, the Center for Creative Photography in Arizona, the Australian Museum of Contemporary Photography.
His work has been published in Huffington Post, Newsweek, PDN, and Lenscratch, among other publications. Exhibitions of his work have taken place in the U.S., Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Australia.
George currently resides in Tokyo, working on projects about having a bicultural upbringing in a homogeneous society.
Organizations
-
Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Here. Still.
Featuring: George Nobechi
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 3 Granite TerraceFurman St,
Brooklyn,
NY 11201
Location open 24 hours
