The 59th GRist is yokoego.
***
It was on a chance trip to the beach that I first encountered GR cameras, and a lot has changed ever since. At the time, I was just a student preparing for my photography entrance exam, and the heavy DSLRs and complex exam subjects were boring me to tears before I even had a chance to enjoy photography. So when the chance came along, I didn't hesitate for long. My friend handed me a GR II and said, "Just shoot whatever you want". I pressed the shutter lightly and captured an image of the sea at dusk, the people rendered in deep blue. And that was the moment when my heavy heart seemed lightened up by that luminous blue. Pressing the shutter without thinking, relying on my intuition, and capturing heart-moving scenes one second in advance: these were the changes that the first chance brought, and since then, I've been growing with the updates and upgrades of Ricoh's GR cameras.
Photography, for me now, is more like a quiet observation. I prefer to keep a distance at first, observing all the strangeness through silhouettes, traces, and unnoticed body movements. Only as I gradually become more familiar with my subjects will I narrow the distance and magnify my observations. I enjoy documenting the little highlights in my everyday life, and I believe they are only visible in my eyes. I'm accustomed to exploring unusual perspectives, capturing common yet easily overlooked details, and being drawn to and guided by themes such as resonance between different things. My observations usually start from the seemingly insignificant moments around me, and through static capture, I transform them into tangible feelings.
There's no contradiction between "cherishing every shutter" and "shooting endlessly": we cherish every moment that moves our hearts, and document every one of them without reservation. I am grateful that the GR camera has been with me to capture many precious moments. Photos do not preserve smells or touches, but they do allow me to relive those scenes and immerse myself once more in them with all my senses. Scrolling through the photos I took, the beautiful memories in my mind are as distant as unreachable mountains, yet suddenly they seem so close: I can taste the salt of the tide in that ocean, hear the laughter in that aquarium, and feel the sting of the wind on my face in that heavy snow. It's almost sad that the joy of modern man seems to lie in the possession of nothing but colorful memorabilia. Fortunately, we can still use cameras to record and rely on photos to imagine.
yokoego, born in Hunan, China, graduated from the Image Arts Department of Nihon University College of Art. Now in Shanghai.
Publications
minute. 2019
Pass By.2023
Exhibition
The "End and Start" NUArt Graduation Production Exhibition, Tokyo, 2019
Minute. solo exhibition, Changsha Afteroom, 2019
The Ricoh Department of the "Longli Local Image Festival", Longli Ancient City, Guizhou, 2020
Group Exhibition on "Chance and Imagination", Liangzhu Cultural and Art Center, Hangzhou, 2021
Another, another solo exhibition, Ningbo Meisyakan, 2023
Instagram: @yokoego
（原文）
一次偶然的海边旅行，我从朋友那里初次接触到了GR相机。那时候我还是一个在准备写真科入学考试的学生，沉重的单反相机和复杂的入试课题，让我还未曾感受到摄影的快乐就已经感觉枯燥。从朋友手机接过GRII的时候，她说：“你就随心所欲地拍吧。”我轻轻地按下了快门，拍下了一张傍晚的海，照片里的人也被渲染成了深蓝色。那一刻，我沉重的心似乎也被这片蓝色点亮了。不假思索地按下快门，靠着直觉抢先一秒拍下让自己心动的画面：这是GR相机带给我的改变。从第一次接触理光GR相机，我跟随着它的更新换代，不断成长着。
写真，对于现在的我而言，更像是一种安静的观察。我习惯保持距离，透过背影、 痕迹、 不被察觉的肢体动作，去观察一切的陌生。而在逐渐熟悉之后，我会拉近靠近的范围，放大我的观察。我喜欢记录日常生活里，那些只出现在我眼里的发光点；习惯于切入不同寻常的视角，摘取常见却易被忽略的细节，被不同事物间的共鸣等这类主题所吸引。我的观察从身边微不足道的瞬间出发，通过静态捕捉，将自我观察变成一种可触碰的感受。
“珍惜每一次快门”和“无止境地拍吧”并不矛盾：我们珍惜每一次心动的瞬间，并且毫无保留地记录每一次。谢谢GR陪我记录下太多珍贵瞬间，影像并不能保存气味和触感，但我却凭借照片补全了那些场景，拥有了再一次的身临其境。看着拍过的照片在眼前翻滚，在我的脑海里，远得像望不到尽头的山一般的美好回忆，突然就感觉近在咫尺——想起了那片海咸咸的潮汐味道，想起了那场大雪里风吹在脸上的刺痛感，想起了那座水族馆里的欢声笑语。作为现代人类的快乐，就是拥有五光十色的记忆载体吧。庆幸我们还能用相机来记录，靠照片来想象。
yokoego，出生于中国湖南，毕业于日本大学艺术学部映像艺术研究科。目前作为独立摄影师，居住在上海。2019年，发表首部个人作品集《minute.》。2023年，发表第二部个人作品集《Pass By》。
参展经历
「終で始」日芸卒業制作展，東京ギャラリーストークス，2019
「minute.」个展，长沙下午好室afteroom，2019
「隆里在地影像节」理光部门，贵州隆里古城，2020
「偶然与想象」群展，杭州良渚文化艺术中心，2021
「Another,another」个展，宁波明写馆，2023
Instagram: @yokoego
