Masataka Fuse “Faces of the Town II”

Olympus Gallery Osaka

This event has ended.

Our lives have changed drastically as we’ve been swallowed up in a wave of standardization in pursuit of the economical and convenient. While Osaka is no exception, Osakans continue to build their communities based on the traditional and unchanging ideas of “Naniwa” (Osaka’s former name), while remaining sensitive to the latest trends. These ideas are free and far removed from the forces of standardizing, allowing the various ideas of different people to become mixed together and harmonized, giving communities diverse “faces.” Those unfamiliar with Osaka may shake their heads and ask, “Really? Why?” about what they see, but this aspect of the city is normal and necessary to the “Naniwa” spirit. Photographer Masataka Fuse is exceedingly fond of the characters and vital forces that create Osaka’s many faces of humanity. He believes there must be others who feel the same way.