Kenro Izu

Kenro Izu (????, Izu Kenro?, born 1949) is a renowned Japanese-born photographer based in the United States.[1]

Izu attended Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo from 1969-1972. After moving to the United States in 1972 he spent two years working as a photo assistant in New York City and subsequently established his own studio, specializing in still life photography.

Since 1979, in addition to his well established commercial work, Kenro began his serious professional commitment to his fine art photography, travelling the world to capture the sacred ancient stone monuments in their natural settings. He traveled and documented Egypt, Syria, Jordan, England, Scotland, Mexico, France and Easter Island (Chile).

Most recently he focused on Buddhism and Hindu monuments in South East Asia: Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Through them, he captures profound beauty with natural states of decay.

Izu founded Friends Without a Border, an organization devoted to raising funds for children’s hospitals in Cambodia. Profits from select prints sales and his book, Light Over Ancient Angkor, are donated to this cause. Izu is the recipient of the 2007 Lucie Awards’ Visionary Photographer award, and was published by En Foco's photographic journal Nueva Luz.

[edit] Publications

Nueva Luz photographic journal, Volumes 12#2 (2007), and 1#1 (1984)

[edit] Notes

^ (Japanese) Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, editor. 328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers (???????, Nihon shashinka jiten?). Kyoto: Tankosha, 2000. ISBN 4-473-01750-8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenro_Izu

1949

Born in Osaka, Japan

1963-69

Lived, studied and started photography in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi pref.

1969-70

Studied at Nihon University, College of Arts, Tokyo

1970

Moved to New York City

1974

Established Kenro Izu Studio in New York. Start working in commercial photography, specialized in Jewelry and small precious objects.

1979

The first visit to Egypt, and impressed deeply with the sacred sites, made with massive stones and its sense of impermanence. The experience motivated him to start the series of "Sacred Places" of the world.

1983

Witnessed a beauty and intense rendering of atmosphere, produced by contact-printed Platinum/Palladium print by Paul Strand, he decided to proceed the medium to document a series of "Sacred Places" and obtained a Deardorff custom made camera which produce 14 inch by 20 inch negative.

1984

The 3rd trip to Egypt with the 14"x20" camera, and the result of images convinced him to continue his all photography by this method. Since then, he traveled and photographed repeatedly to the sacred sites of England, Scotland, France, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and USA. In this year, using the 14"x20" camera, start photographing floral studies titled "Still Life".

1993

The first visit to Angkor monuments in Cambodia, and deeply inspired of the mortality of all. In the same time he was inspired of the preciousness of all life form at ruined temples of Angkor. From the experiences of Angkor, he was motivated in sacred sites of Asia, and start traveling and photographed; Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Syria, Jordan, Burma and China. This year, the first photography of human body study as a part of the series; "Still Life" started.

1995

During a photography series of "Light Over Ancient Angkor" in Cambodia, he witnessed many child victims of landmine, and unnecessary death of children, due to lack of medical care and a poverty in the country. He decided to create a free children's hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and founded a not-for-profit organization; Friends Without A Border in New York. In 1999, Angkor Hospital for Children opened its door, since then the 50 beds pediatric general hospital treated over 650,000 children to date.

1997

The first visit to the sacred sites in the kingdom of Mustang in Northern Nepal, located high on Himalayan region, he became interested in the sacred sites in the countries in Himalayan, which include Tibet, Ladakh (India), and Bhutan.

2002

Developed a technique of "Cyanotype over Platinum print", to render a deep and dark image in blue, and to capture the beauty in shadow, an inner sanctuary of a human.

2004

Completed a series of "BLUE" and series of exhibitions and a book titled "BLUE" was released.

2002-2007

A series titled "BHUTAN sacred within" were photographed with his first attempt of portraiture, inspired by the people of Bhutan, whose selflessness and the nation's ideology; "Gross National Happiness".

2008

The series titled "INDIA sacred within" project is started, aiming to document diversity of people, location, culture and religion to portray and study the spirit of India.

2009

Mark 30th year of his photography, since the first visit to Egypt. 30 year Retrospective book is scheduled to be published in early 2010.

http://www.kenroizu.com/html/profile.html