Photography, because it is both familiar and accessible, is an excellent medium for young people to use for self-expression. With this as a guiding principle, the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (K*MoPA) in Yamanashi Prefecture has sought since its founding in 1995 to contribute to society by purchasing the work of promising young photographers.
¡°Very often, young people cannot see what they do well unless someone points it out to them,¡± says museum director and photographer Eikoh Hosoe. ¡°For young artists, having a work purchased by a museum can provide a tremendous boost in confidence. Without that, they may lose faith in their abilities and stop creating.
¡°They may even throw out their work. So that is the other aim of our acquisition program ¡ª to collect and preserve photographers¡¯ early work that might otherwise be scattered or lost.¡±
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