In 2023, the Ishimoto Yasuhiro Photo Center at The Museum of Art, Kochi, celebrated its tenth anniversary. To celebrate this occasion, a popularity voting was carried out, where citizens were asked to select their favorites from the works that were used as main visuals to advertise previous collection exhibitions. While in the regular exhibitions, themes and featured works are chosen by the respective curators, the idea this time was to determine the most popular works, and present a selection that would take visitors one step closer to Ishimoto and his endeavors. We received a total of approximately 2,000 votes, with comments including the voters’ reasons for their choices, that reflected how all of them are obviously enjoying their interaction with the photographic work of Ishimoto Yasuhiro.

Furthermore, we also asked a number of individuals who used to be in contact with Ishimoto during his lifetime, and who have a profound knowledge of his work, to select their favorite items. The personal reasons behind their choices, and related individual episodes, graphically convey their great respect and affection for the artist and his work. In the exhibition, comments gathered from all kinds of voters are displayed alongside the photographs, and we hope that these combined exhibits will inspire visitors to explore the backgrounds of each work, and thereby discover new and exciting perspectives on Ishimoto and his achievements.