[Critique by work category] Still Image

I still believe that an image has the power to change the world. I want it to be able to shock me, as though I were struck in the face; that is art, I believe. It is difficult to identify such a work when exposed to a large number of varied still images; it would have been easier in the context of an exhibition or published medium. However, with the aid and advice of Ms. HASEGAWA Yuko, I have managed to choose 11 Recommended Works. Mr. NAKAE Masaaki's ROCKET portrays a rocket carried by a train, travelling at high speed with the sun setting in the distance, and another standing in a park amongst deer; the contrast between rockets and their situation is amusing. It was a pity that we could not find a work that possessed depth by virtue of its ordinary appearance, as was the case with award winning works in the past, such as Mr. HASHIMOTO Norihisa's life-size, Mr. KANO Yoshiyuki's Organization paper or Mr. FUTOYU Masaharu's FUTOYU GINKO-∞ YEN#SAM/ Indeed, it was Mr. HAYASHI Shunsaku's epic, Sagrada Familia Project that primarily drew our attention this year.