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Behind the Athletes' Emotions
‘Young Photographers' New Stories’
BACK-GROUND A Photojournalism Exhibition by Itaru Chiba (text by Katsuya Hosoe)
Brazilian footballer Neymar celebrates a goal.
©Itaru Chiba
Joyous Schalke players celebrate a victory with their fans.
©Itaru Chiba
Spain striker Diego Costa shows his frustration and disappointment after his shot misses the target.
©Itaru Chiba
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski tussles for the ball with Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin.
©Itaru Chiba
Brazil national team members get together for a team photo.
©Itaru Chiba
‘Young Photographers' New Stories’
To enable young photographers to discover the significance and enjoyment of photo exhibitions and to further develop the culture of photography, the Fujifilm Photo Salon, Tokyo, invites applications from young photographers to display their works as part of our ‘Young Photographers' New Stories’ series. These exhibitions have been held several times each year since 2013. To further encourage young photographers to exhibit their works, Fujifilm provides the prints and supports the photographers with productions costs, etc.
Exhibition outline
Project 18 is a photo exhibition featuring a sports documentary consisting of photos taken by Itaru Chiba that relate the emotions of football players and fans in European football leagues as seen from behind. The exhibition includes text contributed by sports writer Katsuya Hosoe.
Exhibition content
Photographer Itaru Chiba has been capturing photos of footballers in Germany and other European countries since 2010. This is his first solo exhibition, and focuses on the numerous ‘back’ shots that Chiba has taken at German Bundesliga matches as well as games from other leagues.
The exhibition features images of the emotions and action shots of some of the world's leading footballers performing in the top leagues and international matches around the world, and the wildly enthusiastic fans who cheer them on. The images are accompanied by explanatory stories penned by sports writer Katsuya Hosoe.
A Message from the Photographer
In November 2010, I traveled to Germany with the intention of taking photos at European football matches, and ended up working overseas for seven-and-a-half years.
During that time I captured images at countless matches in various European countries. Without really meaning to, I began to focus on images of ‘back’ shots, and before I realized it I suddenly had a large store of these images. You may ask why it is that I like taking ‘back’ shots of players and fans. The answer is perhaps because these images leave much more to the viewer's imagination.
There are many photos that clearly show a player's or a fan's delight or anguish by capturing their facial expressions, but I cannot help thinking that such photos have a certain limitation to the emotions they are able to portray. But by capturing images of the back of a player, viewers of the image are unable to see the facial expression and are forced to imagine the emotion for themselves. There is no definitive interpretation of the atmosphere and emotion prevailing in a 'back' image, and viewers are free to envision their own. I very much hope that visitors to the exhibition will imagine their own stories for each of the images and discover a new, fresh way of looking at and enjoying photos.
Profiles
Itaru Chiba — profile
Born in 1982 in Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and joined the editorial team of a football magazine after graduating from university. Following this, he began taking photos of couples underneath Ferris wheels on a part-time basis, attended a Tokyo visual arts class in the evenings, and traveled to Germany in 2010 with the intention of taking football-related photos. Was based in Dusseldorf and later Frankfurt, and returned to Japan in 2018. Is currently active as a sports photographer taking pictures of various athletes, and is a member of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS).
Katsuya Hosoe — profile
Born in 1979 in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. After working on the editorial teams of World Soccer King, J-League Soccer King and World Soccer Graphic magazines, became involved in the establishment of a specialized sports editorial production in 2009. Turned freelance in 2011, writing stories on football and a variety of other sports. Currently conducts athlete interviews, works as an editor and is involved with project planning.
| Name of exhibition | ‘Young Photographers' New Stories’ BACK-GROUND A Photojournalism Exhibition by Itaru Chiba (text by Katsuya Hosoe) |
|---|---|
| Dates and times | January 24 — February 6, 2020 10:00 — 19:00 (closes at 16:00 on final day of exhibition; last entry ten minutes before closing) |
| Venue | FUJIFILM SQUARE Space 2 |
| Admission | Free |
| Number of exhibits | Approx. 40 prints (full size and double size prints all in color) |
| Organized by | FUJIFILM Corporation |
<Gallery talks>
1) January 26 and February 1, from 14:00 with Itaru Chiba and Katsuya Hosoe.
2) January 24 and 31, from 18:00 with Itaru Chiba
* Each talk session will last for approx. 40 minutes. Admission free, no reservation required. Please note that seating will not be available. Thank you for your kind understanding.
