Alao Yokogi has a varied portfolio on his website and a blog [in Japanese] dedicated to his work. He was born in the Chiba Prefecture in 1949, studied at the Tokyo University in the late 60s. He recently published his book - Teach Your Children 1967-1975, a chronicle of his life as a student.
© Alao Yokogi
© Alao Yokogi - Hanshin Daishisai [Great Hanshin earthquake] series
© Alao Yokogi - Kiku [Chrysanthemum] series
The nudes were part of a series on women, which I personally found slightly demeaning. It could be attributed to how the Japanese society views the Other. This image was most interesting to me due to the heart-shaped motif. The Hanshin Daishisai series documented the effects of the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995. Yokoji-san shot the series in 4×5 format. Not sure if the light spill was post production work though. I found the Kiku series to be particularly sad, perhaps associating chrysanthemums with funerals. Looking at the entire series, I cannot help but feel a quiet despair.
Find out more about the Great Hanshin earthquake on wikipedia.
Thanks to Lili for helping me do a quick translation of his profile page.
