Kenjiro Asaki
Biography
Kenjiro Asaki / Progressive Art Photographer
He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Self-taught in photography, he became a test photographer for Panasonic compact cameras in 2008 and began freelancing the following year. Kenjiro Asaki has received numerous awards and accolades in photo contests in Japan, Europe, and other countries. In 2023, he was selected to represent Japan in the Nature category of the World Photographic Cup, a world competition for professional photographers. Also in 2024, he was appointed as an Ambassador of Art by FONDAZIONE EFFETTO ARTE, Italy. In recent years, his work has been exhibited in various European countries, including Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain, and has been featured increasingly in art catalogs. In addition, he works as an exclusive artist for “amana Images” as a landscape photographer.
Artist Statement
As a photographer, I have pursued fantastical underwater landscapes, the beautiful scenery hidden within winter's perilous snow-covered mountains, and Japan's traditional culture of fireworks through diverse expressions. My creed is to express reality as faithfully as possible without relying on composites or excessive editing. Beyond the information gained from nature at the moment the shutter releases, even the unexpected moments born from chance within the environment are essential elements indispensable to my artistic expression.
In stark contrast to working with nature's vast scale, another profoundly cherished subject is my own country's culture. Japan, the country where I was born, has its own unique culture and history, just like any other country. One particularly noteworthy aspect of this is its “garden culture,” which bears a resemblance to the landscape gardens of England. In this tradition, landscape architects draw on their own aesthetic sensibilities and philosophies to create spaces within limited plots of land that mimic natural landscapes. Occasionally visiting these confined spaces and contemplating environments saturated with “beauty,” “balance,” and “stillness” provides invaluable time for new discoveries in self-expression and honing my photographic technique.
I hope you will find interest in and sense the unique atmosphere and harmony emanating from the resulting works, both past and future.
As an aside, there are two reasons I call myself a “Progressive Art Photographer.”
First, there are two types of JPEG image display formats. One is the baseline format, which displays high-resolution images from top to bottom. The other is the progressive format, which displays the entire image at low resolution initially and gradually increases the resolution. Like the progressive JPEG format, I aim to present works where the viewer's careful engagement gradually reveals the photographic intent, beauty, and depth.
Second, throughout my many years of musical activity, which began when I was young, I have been deeply influenced by progressive jazz and progressive rock. For these two reasons, I create and express fantastical, creative, and imaginative works under the title of “Progressive Art Photographer.”
Kenjiro Asaki Portrait
Dazzling Silence_2022_Digital Photography_100x66cm
Delusion_2018_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Dead Branch_2020_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Summer Fairy_2015_Digital Photography_80x53cm
World Of Clear Blue_2015_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Deep Surprise_2018_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Sailing To The Galaxy_2023_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Vanishing Beauty_2018_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Profile Of A Japanese Beauty_2015_Digital Photography_80x53cm
Blooming And Scattering_2019_Digital Photography_80x53cm