OYAKO, the Japanese word for parent and child, is the title of a series I have been working on since 1982.
It began with a magazine assignment to photograph punk musicians when I hit on the idea of photographing them with their parents. Thinking it would be an amusing way to bring out the differences in lifestyles and fashions between the two generations, what came back was infinitely more.
The pictures revealed so much about family relations; I decided to continue exploring this theme as a way of looking at Japanese society and the changes from one generation to the next.
The bond between a parent and child has an enormous impact everyone, no matter where we are from. The parents are the first people that a newborn baby meets and the base for all future relations. As the child grows, so do the roots that connect them to family, friends, and communities.
OYAKO is a link in of a long unbroken chain that goes back to the beginning of life itself.
Artist Bios
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Bruce Osborn
Bruce Osborn was born in Southern California and raised on its surf and skateboard culture. He began his photographic career working for the music industry in Los Angeles before moving to Japan in 1980.
Bruce’s clientele and recognition have grown to include many renowned publications and companies throughout the world. He has received a number of awards and acclaim for his work and has published several photo books.
His life-long project is OYAKO (Japanese parents and children) photo series. In 2003, Bruce and his wife Yoshiko created the OYAKO Day social action and in 2014, a documentary film, OYAKO~ Present to the Future, was made about it. Recently he published his book An OYAKO: An Ode to Parents and Children which is available on Amazon.
Organizations
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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
OYAKO (Japanese parents & children)
Featuring: Bruce Osborn
Locations
View Location Details Annenberg Space for PhotographyCentury Park,
2000 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles,
CA 90067
Location open 24 hours
