Hiro Tanaka

We don’t normally show diptych work on the website. In fact, I usually hate it. Working in the educational side of photography, I see it all the time. Mostly intro to photo students who get a bright idea to compare or contrast subjects, it’s hardly ever successful. Then I came upon Hiro’s work when he submitted to our Curator’s Choice issue earlier this year. His use of diptychs is unique and surprisingly humorous. I loved looking at these images and I hope that you do too!

Hiro was born and raised in Japan and has lived in the United States for several years. He had some interesting coincidence that led him to start taking photographs and getting on the van, traveling with US punk bands in the United States and Europe by accidentally winning a free trip to the US through raffles at a shopping mall in Tokyo. He acquired his first camera from one of the band members during touring and started taking photographs. Since then he has been taking photographs, shooting video footage and collecting English slang and phrases. He won the ShainBook Award in France and was selected as finalist and shortlisted for several awards such as the Kassel Photobook Award, Kassel Dummy Award, Landskrona Foto Dummy Award, Fuam Dummy Award in more in Europe, had exhibitions in several international photo festivals.


Moving one place to another, going into familiar and unfamiliar scenes. Countless encounters during life on the road.

Things can be different but feels like it’s a constant repetition under pile of time and distance.
Often some random things just happen to you and we have no control over avoiding it.
Time and current can be twisted, distance and space can be distorted.
Explore relationship between encounters, randomness and consequences through experience and memento.

To view more of Hiro’s work please visit his website.