Tadafumi Tamura

Photography

Received a grant in 2020

TAMURA Tadafumi is a photographer originally from Yokohama, Japan. While he was practicing photography over two decades in Japan, it was his immigration to Canada in 2013 and his struggles with the new environment and language that made him re-discover it as a visual language that enabled him to be engaged with local communities and their issues. He has been studying photography at Langara Collage and Emily Carr University. His triptych collage “Balmoral” was exhibited in BC’s Housing Central Conference 2019 at Sheraton Wall and won the third place in the photography category for The Changing the Conversation exhibition to take place at Douglas College in the fall of 2020.

How has receiving a DTES Small Arts Grant supported your development as an artist?

The grant gave me a sense of responsibility and forced me to think more deeply how to ethically document movements and struggles of DTES such as the Women’s Memorial March. This enables me to share the local story to people experiencing similar issues beyond DTES.

How has DTES Small Arts Grants helped DTES artists?

Receiving this grant has helped me not only be engaged in local struggles as an artist but also convey the issues expressed in my artwork to the audiences beyond the DTES community especially when presented online.

How has DTES Small Arts Grants impacted the community?

Presenting my work through the show organized by the DTES Small Arts Grants draws attention of people who may not normally be interested in the experiences of DTES. It can potentially break many kinds of stereotypes and stigmas that misrepresent the realities and lives in the community.