ーHow did you come to hold your first solo exhibition at SALT AND PEPPER?

Jiro Konami, the photographer, had suggested that I try photographic expression, but I never had the opportunity to do so. So when he came to Tokyo about six months ago, I asked him to look at the photos I had taken and brought about 1,000 photos to the hotel for him to choose from. I knew what style suited me, but at the time I needed the voice to help me understand it better. I then contacted SALT AND PEPPER to see if they could do a solo exhibition of mine, and it just so happened that Jiro and SALT AND PEPPER already had a long relationship. Then SALT AND PEPPER told me, “If you’re ok with it, bring me the photos in two days.” and I completed this demo book by then.

ーOh, You finished making this in two days? And you also included a little bit of the production process of this in this photo book, right?

Yeah, I had a set date to bring it in, so I stayed up all night for two days to get it ready. Immediately after work, I filled the book I had bought with A4 white paper and pasted L-prints on it. It was a simple task, but the layout of the photos took a lot of time and effort.

ーThat makes sense.

I couldn’t do it in my own house, so I rented an office at my place of work. There, I spread out all the photos and looked at them until 4:00 in the morning. I put a terrific amount of work into this demo book, so this is what I most want people to see when they come to the exhibit. After that I brought this to SALT AND PEPPER on the appointed day, I think this demo book has helped me to convey my sincerity to SALT AND PEPPER.

ーIt is truly amazing that you were able to complete this in two days…

I had never taken it so seriously, but I’m glad I did.

ーI heard that you became interested in film cameras and started taking photos after coming to the U.S. at 18. Do you have any specific episodes related to that?

Actually, I originally had a compact camera, and at first I took photos with it. It wasn’t until I started skating with a skate crew in New York that I decided to give it a serious try. and almost all of them were taking photos with single-lens film cameras. I found it fun to use a non-automatic film camera and focus by myself, so I bought a camera with the money from my part-time job, and got so super into it.

ーOh, I see.

They were doing a small exhibit at the time, and I thought it was so sick. I feel like I learned a lot about photographic expression and other things from there.

ーSo you were also influenced by the skateboard culture there.

Yeah, right. They were taking not only skateboarding photos but also various snapshots, and I realized this was what I wanted to do, too. I had been taking pictures just as a record until then, but I started going out to take pictures intentionally, and I became more serious about it.

ーWhy did you choose Tokyo as the setting for this shooting?

I often go abroad for work, and I wanted to tell my overseas friends about the “goodness and atmosphere of Tokyo that is unrivaled anywhere in the world”, also want to remind people living in Tokyo that Tokyo is still going to make great strides in the future.

ーYou mean Tokyo is still competitive, right?

Exactly. I have seen other countries, so it was easy for me to compare Tokyo with other countries. When I returned to Tokyo, I could see the towns with my own  “new eyes” because I was in a refined state of mind, and I already realized that there were photographs that only I could take, so I thought I should share them with everyone. People sometimes compare modern-day Japan with old Japan, but we live in the moment, right? So I want people living in Tokyo to enjoy the moment more and wanted to convey that more clearly. That’s why I put “Tokyo” in the title of this exhibition.

ーThis exhibition is supposed to be a portrait of contemporary Tokyo, but wonderfully it has a unified retro feel.I think it is because that aspect of Tokyo stayed the same over time. The atmosphere of Tokyo which hasn’t changed since the old days, is something that can only be found in Tokyo. I felt that there was something special about the dark energy that Japan has, and I wanted to express that more inner side of Japan.

I think it is because that aspect of Tokyo stayed the same over time. The atmosphere of Tokyo which hasn’t changed since the old days, is something that can only be found in Tokyo. I felt that there was something special about the dark energy that Japan has, and I wanted to express that more inner side of Japan.

ーThere are several tricks in the works in this exhibition, aren’t there? For example, you use a mirror paper, a laminate film and more…

Mirror paper was one of the things I wanted to use. I found the finished product interesting when I had printed photos by myself before, so it was just something I wanted to do. For the lamination of the posters, I was told by the printer that there was an interesting way to do this. I like the gloss, and also I had an image of what I thought would be good, so I said, “I want to do this,” and I was allowed to do it as an additional element for the posters. And our generation likes Hologram photos and *Yu-Gi-Oh cards haha.(*Yu-Gi-Oh：Japanese Trading Card Game)　

ーIt’s true, It’s like rare cards or something, right? I bet no one hates that.

Yeah, I love it too, so I figured I should use it.

ーLastly, please tell us about the highlights and particulars of your photo book “Dramatic Tokyo,” which was published along with this exhibition.

From the cover to the end, there is not a single page with a break, and I think the content is designed to be viewed in its entirety, and since I intended to pack it with such photos, I hope you can see it from head to toe and feel various things. I leave the photos completely up to the recipients, and it’s not up to me to say what I feel, so each person can have their own opinions. Just look at them anyway lol.If you don’t like it, it’s all fine. I want you guys to remember what you feel when you see my work and if you like it, you can come back the next time.　

◆◆ Release Information◆◆

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◆ Biography

Taito Itateyama

Instagram : taitowave

Email : taitowave666@gmail.com

photo / writer : Seira Kimura