Yoshinori Mizutani: Tokyo Parrots

Born 1987 in Fukui, Yoshinori Mizutani attended the Tokyo College of Photography after graduating from Nihon University College of Economics. In 2014, was selected for the LensCulture Emerging Talents Awards 2014 Top 50 and the Foam Magazine Talent Call 2014. Mizutani has quickly established worldwide recognition and amassed an impressive list of solo exhibitions in numerous countries, including, Tokyo (IMA), Beijing (aura gallery) , Belgium (ibasho gallery), Switzerland (Christophe Guye Galerie), London (Webber gallery) and Milan (mc2 gallery).

Japan –  

When I saw the hordes of parrots of several hundred birds, I was very scared, it was like, I had fallen into the movie “bird” directed by Hitchcock.

Birds in this photo were brought to Japan as pets from the tropics in 70’s, and went feral; settling inTokyo. Parrots should not be in Tokyo.

I was shocked by this strange spectacle, felt uncomfortable and continued taking photographs.

 

Written & Photography by Yoshinori Mizutani

 

kippo_03Yoshinori Mizutani © Tokyo Parrots


Here is an image of a flock of colorful birds that seem out of place in Tokyo’s urban environment. It is a part of
Yoshinori Mizutani’s new works, which appear ,at first glance,to be paintings. His new work capture tropical parrots living in the urban environment. Feral parrots have became a global problem. There are nearly 1,000 feral parrots in Tokyo alone. In front of the lens are several hundreds of parrots, which are 40cm tall. At night, they return to and strangely blend in with the gingko trees, where they sleep. Mizutani sometimes uses strobes in daylight to create vivid contrast between the beautiful green parrots and the color of the sky. The brightly colored and slightly bizarre scenes represent one of the city’s attractions-its generous acceptance of what may be strange or out of the ordinary.

 

Reviewed by Mutsuko Ota, IMA Japan.

 

 

Related Posts

Thabiso Sekgala : Second Transition

South Africa –  ‘Second Transition’ is the series of images that I’ve photographed in the areas around the mining town …

Shauna : Sean Lee

THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT Singapore – I have always felt that it is very difficult to argue with a …

Hideka Tonomura They Called Me Yukari

Hideka Tonomura: “They Called Me Yukari” – Vivid Fantasy of a Japanese Hostess

Japan –  Hideka Tonomura has left a grave shock in the art scene with her debut collection of photographs, “母恋ハハ・ラブ/ …

Hossein Farmani: “Many French organisations think that they own photography”

U.S.A – Hossein Farmani lends himself to the very forefront of the arts community; his passions have led him to …

Establishment Earthquaker : Shahidul Alam

Bangladesh –  Emaho got into a free-wheeling tête-à-tête with the legendary award-winning Bangladeshi photographer, Shahidul Alam to pry beyond his …

Exploding the Mundane – Ami Vitale

U.S.A. – Two-time World Press Award winning photojournalist and Nikon Ambassador Ami Vitale found herself among the jury of the …

The 2014 Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards Announced

New York –  Todd Hido, photographer and photobook maker greeted an eager crowd at the New York Art Book Fair …

Anne De Gelas: L’amoureuse

Belgium – An (almost) perfect day – 4th April 2010 Max comes to wake us up quite early, he’s there …

Daisuke Yokota: Vertigo

Japan –   In 2011, his self published artist book “Back Yard” had great feedback and dramatic diffusion. Start by …