Photographer's Profile

Kazuki Watanave

, Japan

Kazuki Watanave was born in 1978 in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. When he was in his third year of high school, he was impressed by a photo book of Helmut Newton and decided to become a photographer. In 1998, he entered Tokyo Polytechnic University, Faculty of Arts at the Department of Photography. When he was in his first year of university, he started taking pictures of pigs at Usui Nosan Co., Ltd., which became a life project. When he was in his fourth year of university, he began to study under photographer Setsuo Hirosaki. Following, he worked as an assistant for Hirosaki's architecture photography for about 6 years. Graduated from university in 2002. In 2010, together with three other photographers, he founded the joint photo office “4x5 SHI NO GO”. In 2013, he held the solo exhibition “Buta” at B GALLERY (Shinjuku / BEAMS JAPAN) and published the corresponding photo book “Hito” (publisher: 4x5 SHI NO GO). In 2014, he held a solo exhibition of “Buta” at the Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum, located in his hometown. In 2016, he took photographs for the record of “Tsuiki Copperware”, which is a traditional craft of Tsubame City, and held the solo exhibition “Tsuiki Copperware” at the Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum in September of the same year. He is currently based in Tokyo, photographing for advertisement, magazines, and websites, while at the same time pursuing personal projects. His motto is “Photography is a photographing heart of a once-in-a-lifetime chance” －inspired by the message from his university teacher Professor Eikoh Hosoe.