西川善康 / NISHIKAWA Yoshiyasu
With my academic degree in landscape architecture, I had started my career in the landscape design field. After working in the Philippines for 3 years as a member of JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers), my career has shifted toward visual designs such as photography and movies.
So far, I have compiled several series; garden designs, and peoples and street scenes in Asian countries (mainly Philippines and Taiwan). For the immediate future, I would challenge myself to explore a new series by putting together those themes.
I had chances to visit Taiwan frequently in the last few years. There, I found out that a lot of giant tropical trees such as Chinese banyan or flame tree are scattered across the city. When I am photographing the city, they appear before me unexpectedly. Sometimes, my way was blocked by a large number of potted plants. For me, the way that natural trees are intertwined with artificial structures (buildings, signs, or bridges) looks like parts of gardens depending on angles or compositions.
While Japanese gardens are spaces where people intentionally mimic natural environments by using trees, stones, or moss, etc., the Taiwanese ‘gardens’ on the streets are the ones that are made unintentionally. In 2021, I would like to present this ‘the city is a garden’ series.
Profile
Live in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan
Designer, Photographer
1967 Born in Fukui, Japan
1986-1990 Studied about landscape architecture at Chiba University
1990-1996 Worked at several landscape design offices in Tokyo
1996-1999 Worked at University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao, Philippines as JOCV/JICA Volunteer
2000- freelance photographer and designer in Osaka
2016- member of “gallery 176”, photography gallery in Osaka
2019- part-time lecturer at Kyoto University of the Arts (formerly Kyoto University of Art and Design)
Solo exhibition
2017 “Kodomo Karuta” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2018 “DAVAO 1996-1999” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2019 “DAVAO 2019” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2020 “garden” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2021 “the city is a garden” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2021 “prototypes” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2022 “a garden in the city” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2023 “Kodomo Karuta remix” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
Group exhibition
2016 176 reborn “stones” gallery 176 (Osaka, Japan)
2017 YOSHITOMI PHOTO FESTIVAL 2017 “yoshitomi – 2017.3.5” Yoshitomi-no-sho (Kyoto, Japan)
2017 TAIWAN PHOTO 2017 “garden materials” ShinKong Mitsukoshi (Taipei, Taiwan)
2018 YOSHITOMI PHOTO FESTIVAL 2018 “Kodomo Karuta” Yoshitomi-no-sho (Kyoto, Japan)
2018 TAIWAN PHOTO 2018 “plants” ShinKong Mitsukoshi (Taipei, Taiwan)
2019 YOSHITOMI PHOTO FESTIVAL 2019 “DAVAO 1996-1999” Yoshitomi-no-sho (Kyoto, Japan)
2019 1839 Contemporary Gallery x gallery 176 Exchange Exhibition in Taipei “in the garden” 1839 Contemporary Gallery (Taipei, Taiwan)
2019 TAIWAN PHOTO 2019 “in the garden” ShinKong Mitsukoshi (Taipei, Taiwan)
2020 YOSHITOMI PHOTO FESTIVAL 2020 “People of the South – Davao and Kaohsiung” Yoshitomi-no-sho (Kyoto, Japan)
2023 On The Road x gallery 176 Exchange Exhibition in Kaohsiung “garden / the city is a garden” On The Road (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
2023 1839 Contemporary Gallery x gallery 176 Exchange Exhibition in Taipei “the city is a garden” 1839 Contemporary Gallery (Taipei, Taiwan)
Website
https://www.facebook.com/mitikusa.net