shashasha

Take, for example, an apple you are holding. You bite into it and the exposed flesh of the fruit appears oddly lurid, and after the gouged but discolours from oxidation, it looks rather pitiful.
Likewise with disrobed dolls, used mattresses and chests of drawers set out on the curb for the garbage collector. When such insides are announced to the outside, you catch your breath at the sight of that reality, a slice of life that you ought not have been privy to. It is an unanticipated divulgement from a stranger that catches you off guard.

Above all, this photobook reveals economics in its naked form. Each plate is a divulgement of this. They are not remarkable, nor are they exceptional, which is why you catch your breath at the sight of each of these revelations.

-from the book’s afterword, by playwright Naito Hironori

Taking its title from Taiwan’s historical Portuguese name, Formosa presents a body of work which seeks to redefine the historical meaning the country’s former name, Beautiful Island. Capturing the city streets and inhabitants of Taiwan, the publication explores both the paradox of it’s historical title to Masakazu’s photographic perspective.