「大學畢業，決心從此專心作畫的時代。獨自赴德國，感到不安的時候。一個人時感到弧獨的時候。我又再次拿起令人懷念的相機，那台中學時買來的相機。（中略）獨自一人，驅使我執起相機。」奈良美智在2017年時，舉行了名為「Will the Circle be Unbroken」攝影展覽，這是他為該次展覽撰寫的引言。
這個七月，奈良美智將在東京舉行另一個攝影展「Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone―Take your time, it won’t be long now」，「獨自一人，驅使我執起相機。」這話似乎仍適用。在這次展覽展出的作品，同樣是他與自己相處時所拍攝的，沒有以發表為前題，純粹是他對身處的風景、時間的紀錄。透過攝影，他跟自己、跟城市對話，從而內修自省，潛進自己的內心，了解自己對世界的看法。
奈良美智對攝影器材沒有太多的執著，不管是菲林相機、數碼相機，甚至是iPhone，只要是在他身邊的，有拍攝功能的，就能成為他的攝影工具。一幀幀動人的照片可以是獨立的個體，然而當它們給拼湊在一起時，就建構出奈良美智獨特的世界觀。那裡有著他對過往的婉惜，對未來的憧憬。
“I was determined to dedicate myself to drawing upon graduating from university. Whenever I felt insecure or lonely being on my own in Germany, I would pick up my camera which was bought back in my days in high school. So it is full of nostalgic memories. […] Being alone is what prompts me to pick up my camera.” In 2017, Yoshitomo Nara held a photography exhibition themed Will the Circle be Unbroken; this passage was his prologue to the exhibition.
This July, Yoshitomo Nara will hold another photography exhibition in Tokyo called Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone―Take your time, it won’t be long now. “Being alone is what prompts me to pick up my camera” still seems to be a valid statement for his upcoming exhibition — the exhibiting photos were all taken when he was by himself. Nara did not intent to exhibit his photography at the beginning. It was initially mere documentation of the space and time he was in. Photography is a dialogue between Nara and the city, a tool he uses to penetrate into his inner-self and examines how he perceives the world.
Nara does not hold strong opinion on what kind of photography equipment should be used. Be it a film camera, digital camera or even iPhone; he would basically use anything within reach that can serve the purpose of photography. The enchanting images are single units when they are shown separately, but when they are juxtaposed together, they formed the worldview of Yoshitomo Nara — his regret for the past and his hope for the future.
Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone – Take your time, it won’t be long now
Date: 7 July – 10 August 2018
Venue: Takaishii Gallery Photography
