Gak Yamada

Gak Yamada is a Kyoto based artist whose artistic practice began in his student days travelling around the world to take photographs. While studying Buddhism in Nepal and India, his visions overflowed with color and inspired a new medium of painting.

Encountering Daido Moriyama’s photobook Farewell Photography, Yamada found his interest in photography rekindled, and has since been taking photographs influenced by his experiences as a painter. His creative endeavors are wide-ranging, including video direction for stage, recitations, and sound performances.

At the PARASHOPHIA Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015, he opened the ‘Miwa Yanagi Stage Trailer Project’ with a sound and reading performance. In 2022, Yamada was selected to the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Portfolio Review as winner of the Ruinart Japan Award. In fall of the same year, he visited France to participate in Ruinart’s artist residency program, the new works presented at KYOTOGRAPHIE 2023 as the Ruinart Japan Award winner.