‘From Somewhere to Elsewhere’, When Small Things Strike Back

A man taking a nap, a handkerchief over his eyes and glasses on, taking advantage of a journey on the underground to restore his energy; a child climbing on their mother at a bus stop; a white horse that seems to have come straight out of a fantasy film, as it appears so out of place in its environment; and a giant plastic giraffe sitting proudly in the middle of a used car lot… In each of the photographs in the series From Somewhere to Elsewhere by photographer Yota Yoshida, there is an element that catches the viewer’s eye. It is a celebration of the strangeness of the ordinary, as the artist himself desired.

Yota Yoshida was born in 1981 and grew up north of Kumamoto, on Kyushu Island, before settling in Tokyo. He started out in photography in 2013, following the birth of his first child. ‘At first, I mainly took photos of my family, but I gradually took an interest in other things and started to take photos in the street’, the self-taught photographer explains to Pen. 

Far from show photography

His photos, all digital, and which the artist wishes to undergo as little editing as possible, dwell on details. These details are the kind that, if they had not been captured by Yota Yoshida, would probably not have commanded the attention of passers-by. ‘But they’re small things that most people would overlook if they didn’t see them through a camera and in an image. When it becomes a photograph, the event receives more attention, and when people who weren’t there see it, it evokes a different context’, explains the artist, who admits that he is not attracted to particularly interesting sites that photography enthusiasts are typically fond of, or anything showy. 

Thus, he prefers everyday spaces, suspended moments during a bus or train journey, and walks in the park or through playgrounds. His photographs always have a common thread: they are taken on the spot and depict unknown individuals, always in the public space. ‘These urban photos remind the viewer that a story is playing out, one that is not closed and that has depth’, the photographer concludes. Yota Yoshida also created a series of images captured on Santa Monica pier in the USA, The Imaginary Birds. 

From Somewhere to Elsewhere, a series of photographs by Yota Yoshida, can be viewed on his website.