Born in Fukushima, brought up in Shiga.
Keeping humans at the focal point, Mai Imai feels the small unnoticeable things in daily life and tries to find the stories behind them. Imai is strongly drawn to the differences in personalities, perception and imagination, the symbolism found in memories and the relationship between individuals and society. Graduated in photography from a visual arts school and experienced photo re-touching from the Iino Graphic Images photo studio, Imai is currently a photography artist based in Tokyo.
Awards
- 2020
- Conceptual Nominee, 6th Fine Art Photography Awards
- 2020
- Honorable Mention, Photography Section,
APA (Japan Advertising Photographers’ Association) Awards
- 2019
- Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards
- 2019
- Second Place, Open Category, Kobe International Photo Awards
- 2018
- Grand Prix, Open Category, YPF Photo Contest
- 2015
- Honorable Mention, Advertising Section,
APA (Japan Advertising Photographers’ Association) Awards
- 2013
- Kotaro Iizawa Selection, Photo Fair Einstein
- 2008
- Honorable Mention, Mio Photo Award
The title of my exhibition is innocent world. There’s always something between reality and unreality. I call this substantial atmosphere; my goal is for you to see it through these images. I would like to help you see what you cannot see. Looking at just one photo, you won’t realize there’s more than your eyes can see.
However, you’ll be able to see it, feel it or notice it when you see images put together. I experimentally created this substantial atmosphere through my work. The creation started based on my experience with my past work as I retouched some of the photos in innocent world.
Mai Imai