（Photo by Steve West）
加瀬息吹(かせ いぶき) 写真家・学芸員
福岡県北九州市生まれ。九州産業大学芸術学部 写真・映像メディア学科卒業。
子どもの頃から母親の仕事関係の海外ミュージシャンと過ごし、 音楽やアートに溢れた環境で育つ。特にジャマイカのレゲエミュージシャンたちとの親交は深く、 10 歳になるまで自分をジャマイカ人だと思っていた。
17 歳の時ジャマイカを訪れ、地元の人々の日常をカメラに収める。帰国後、写真展を開催する。以来ライフワークとしてジャマイカに渡り写真を撮り続けている。大学４年生の時、地元の北九州の写真集「ウラコクラ」が出版社より出版され、日本と中国で販売中である。日本でも海外でもストリートに 立ち、独自のカルチャーが感じられる人たちに声をかけポートレイトを撮り続けている。常に被写 体へのリスペクトを忘れず、近距離から撮影するスタイルを貫いている。海外ミュージシャンの写 真も多く撮影し、写真をデザインしたアパレルの制作、講演も行っている。2022年3月にアートギャラリーを併設したフォトスタジオ「Studio CASE」をオープンする。2023年ジャマイカにて「ウラコクラ」の写真展と講演を行う。
受賞歴
上野彦馬フォトコンテスト学生の部入選/ キャノン PHOTOPRESSO 優秀作品賞/ 第 121 回九州写真師会連盟写真展覧会入選/ 第 3 回写真出版賞ドキュメンタリー部門優秀賞/ 九州産業大学理事長賞/ デルタ航空 Delta Photo League受賞/ 第49回2024 JPS展優秀賞（日本写真家協会JPS）
出販
写真集 「ウラコクラ」（2021年みらいパブリッシング）
写真集 「Jamaican Vybz」(2024年出版予定)
メディア出演
NHK「おはよう日本」〜写真家 加瀬息吹 ふるさとへのまなざし〜/ NHK北九州「ニュースブリッジ北九州」/ 九州朝日放送「アサデス。」「シリタカ！」/ 西日本新聞「文化の扉」/ 毎日新聞/ 小倉経済新聞
IBUKI KASE photographer / curator
Ibuki “¥VE$” Kase was born in 1998 in Kokura, Kitakyushu City, Japan. He has spent time with foreign musicians working for his mother since childhood. He was especially close to Jamaican reggae musicians, so he believed he was Jamaican until he turned 10 years old. This had a great influence on his personality, his love for music, and his sociability.
When he was 17 years old, he went to Jamaica and took pictures there. After returning to Japan, he held a photo exhibition called “Smile Jamaica”.
He started attending the Faculty of Arts, Department of Photography and Video Media at Kyushu Sangyo University in 2017. In 2018, he visited Jamaica again to take photos. After returning to Japan, he held a photo exhibition called “Island Vibes” and it became a big topic of conversation in the media.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no longer possible for him to shoot overseas. Also, since most universities are also offering mostly online classes, he started taking pictures of the town he grew up in. The photos taken at that time won a prize in the documentary category of a photo publication award, and a photo book “Urakokura” was published in his fourth year of university. The photo book has been sold in Japan and other asian countries. In 2022, he opened a photo studio with an art gallery in his hometown. While working as a photographer, he uses his knowledge as a curator to provide various art support to young people.
He hangs out on the streets both in Japan and abroad, and continues to take photos by talking to people who have some kind of unique culture. He keeps his style which involves shooting from a close range without forgetting his respect for the subject. He has taken many photographs of foreign musicians. Recently, he has been involved in the production of apparel using his photographs for the designs.
Awards
2024 Award of Excellence, The 49th Exhibition of the JPS ( Japan Professional Photographers Society)
2024 Prize, Delta Photo League
2021 Kyushu Sangyo University President’s Award
2020 Award of Excellence, documentary category of a photo publication award
2019 Prizes, Kyushu Photographers Federation Photo Contest, Japan
2016 Grand Prize, Photopresso Contest by Canon Japan
2016 Grand Prize, All Japan Senior High School Cultural Federation of Fukuoka, Japan
2016 Award of Excellence, All Japan Senior High School Cultural Federation, Kyushu, Japan
2016 3rd Place, Photo Magazine CAPA Photo Contest, Student Department Japan
2015 Prize, Ueno Hikoma Photo Contest, Student Department Japan
2015 Special Prize, All Japan Senior High School Cultural Federation of Kitakyushu, Japan
Media Appearance
NHK TV News 「Good Morning Japan」/ NHK TV Kitakyushu 「News Bridge 」/ KBC TV「Asades」「Shiritaka!」/ West Japan newspaper「The Cultural door」/ Mainichi newspaper / Kokura Economic Newspaper