Authority as a Mirage
— Beyond the Void of “Approval” Toward the Architecture of Self —
The Proliferation of Photo Competitions.
We are living in an unprecedented boom of photo contests. They are mushrooming everywhere, flooding the digital landscape. In the past, domestic “Camera Manufacturer Awards” were the mainstream, focusing on community harmony and technical proficiency. In contrast, today’s major international awards (IPA, TIFA, SWPA, etc.) tend to emphasize artistic vision and conceptual depth. Yet, they also possess a distinct side as “commercial entertainment” accompanied by hefty entry fees. To those considering these international competitions, I offer my perspective. The answer depends entirely on your purpose.
フォトコンペティションの氾濫
空前の写真コンクールブームである。数えられない海外アワードが雨後の筍のごとく、写真コンペティションが世界中に溢れている。IPA, TIFA, PX3,ND-AWARD,等近年隆盛を極める海外のフォトアワードは、より「ファインアート」としての作家性を問う傾向がある一方で、高額な参加費を伴う「興行」としての側面も色濃い。これから海外コンペに挑戦しようとする方々へ、私なりの視点からアドバイスを贈りたい。
1. For those seeking prize money or gear:
“Don’t bother.” That is my only advice. Winning a competition is not something you can control. Results depend on judges—uncontrollable external factors. Relying on them is no different from buying a lottery ticket. If you want a specific lens, earn the money through your craft and buy it. That is the most certain way, and above all, the most honorable.
2. For those seeking authority and social approval:
The glittering tagline: “1st Place Winner of a Famous International Award!” The flood of “likes” and accolades on social media. Your self-validation will soar to the heavens. …And that is exactly why I say: “Go for it.” Challenge yourself, and then coldly observe the emotional transition that follows.
The electrifying high when you find your name on the winner’s list. The sense of omnipotence for a few days, intoxicated by social media reactions. A week later, the strange void that arrives as the engagement fades. The loop of wringing out “award-bait works” in search of the next hit of approval. This is no different from gambling. Until you realize how fragile this cycle is—dependent entirely on external factors—the addiction will not end. To immerse yourself in it and taste that emptiness to the marrow is the shortest path to true autonomy.
1. 賞金・賞品が目的の方へ
「やめておけ」とだけ言っておく。審査員という自分以外の人間——すなわち「制御不能な外部要因」に依存する結果は、宝くじを買うのと大差ない。
2. 権威と承認欲求が目的の方へ
だからこそ、あえて「挑戦しろ」と言いたい。そして、見事に入賞した後に訪れる感情の推移を、冷徹に観察するのだ。発表の瞬間の高揚感。数日間の全能感。そして一週間後に訪れる、奇妙な空虚さ。その虚しさを骨の髄まで味わうことは、真の自律への近道でもある。
3. For those seeking research and technical improvement:
Few belong to this category purely. However, it is the valuable byproduct of pursuing the second category. To win, one must engage in exhaustive strategy, research, and cold comparisons with past winners. In that process, you inevitably develop an “objective eye” for your own work and refine your aesthetic judgment. It can be rigorous training to shed the skin of self-indulgent expression.
3. 研究と技術向上が目的の方へ
純粋にこの目的を持つ人は少数派だろう。だが、実は上記「2」を真剣に追い求める過程で、副産物として得られるのがこれだ。 入賞には、徹底した戦略と研究、そして過去の受賞作との冷徹な比較が必要になる。その過程で、嫌が応でも「自分の作品を客観視する目」と「審美眼」が養われる。これは、独りよがりの表現から脱皮するための、厳しい訓練になり得る。
Why I display my results.
Having read this far, you might want to condemn me: “But you list your awards on your own profile!” I am well aware. I do not display my past results to boast. They are like “scars”—a reminder to acknowledge my own foolishness for craving approval and my weakness toward authority. I challenged international awards for nearly ten years, until last year. And finally, it clicked. The only one who can truly validate self is self. The “likes” of others and the evaluation of judges are ultimately nothing more than the whims of others. If you entrust your value to such uncertain external factors, your foundation as an artist will never solidify. I do not view my awards as a proof of authority. Rather, you may think of them as: “This man, too, was once maddened by the need for approval, was satisfied, and eventually learned its void.”
なぜ私は「結果」を掲げるのか
ここまで読んだ方は、「お前だって受賞歴をプロフィールに書いているじゃないか」と私を弾劾したくなるだろう。承知の上だ。私が過去の結果を掲げているのは、自慢するためではない。それは、自らの「承認欲求への愚かさ」と「権威に対する弱さ」を認め、常に戒めるための「傷跡」のようなものだ。他人の「いいね」も、審査員の評価も、結局は他人の気まぐれに過ぎない。そんな不確かな外部要因に自らの価値を委ねていては、アーティストとしての土台は一生固まらない。
True desire lies beyond facing your weakness.
Humans are weak. Artists are equally fragile. But unless you face that weakness, you will never encounter true vision. To test what you truly want and what you want to express—that is where the challenge of international competition holds meaning.
Now, I am facing not “external approval,” but my “true desire” once again. It is Sound. For thirty years, I have created sound. But it was always for an organization, for a product—never purely “sound for myself.” I have felt a deep dissonance every time I pasted someone else’s music onto my own visuals. It felt mismatched, as if I were stretching my own skin over someone else’s skeleton.
This is why I have begun the attempt to structurally fuse my own “Sound” with my “Works of Light.” This is not a fleeting request for self-approval. It is an undeniable, pure demand for self-expression.
Once again, I declare: I am a Structurer.
弱さを直視した先にある、真の欲求
己が何を欲し、何を表現したいのか。それを見極めるための試練としてなら、海外コンペへの挑戦は、大いに意味があるだろう。 そして今、私は自己の「真の欲求」に再度向き合っている。それは、「音」だ。他者の創作した音楽を、自らの映像に貼り付けるたびに感じてきた、あの深い違和感。それこそが、今まさに私が、自らの「音」を、自らの「光の作品」と構造的に融合させる試みを始めた所以である。これは、刹那的な「自己承認要求」ではない。紛れもない、純粋な「自己表現要求」だ。
I am a Structurer. 私は構造家である。
