"From the Terminal Station, Guangzhou 1997" #50 ©Toru Ukai
"From the Terminal Station, Guangzhou 1997" #52 ©Toru Ukai
It was 24 years ago, in 1997, that I started my photography in Guangzhou, China. 1997 is the year of the Ox in Chinese astrology and 2021 is so, too. At the beginning of 2021, I show you some of my early pictures from my film archives, which were taken in 1997.
Needless to say, China has dramatically changed since then. I’ve gradually changed, too. Now I’m 60. If the pictures surprised you, your surprise should come from the changes of China and me myself, that is, my photography. In those days I regarded a motion blur or even a camera shake as proof of our lives. I thought it was a way to breathe new life into a rigid and dead image without life and time. Besides, seemingly, the blurred photos show that I was still young and lively enough then.
Well, now we’re in the third wave of COVID-19 in Japan. It’s not so easy to take a new picture on the street. Probably I continue to dig up 'hidden treasures' to me for the time being ;) Some of them will be added to the project album “From the Terminal Station, Guangzhou 1997”. Just enjoy, my friends!
