Ricardo Yamamoto is a photographer based in Melbourne. Born in the South of Brazil to Japanese immigrants, he left the country in 1991 in the aftermath of the Brazilian military dictatorship and crippling economic crisis, a period locally known as The Lost Decade. Arriving in Japan as a factory worker, he experienced first-hand the commodification of labour driven by a shifting global consumption dynamics, and the consequent human cost as millions re-locate worldwide to flee deteriorating living conditions. Focused on essays and documentaries, his work explores local stories that resonate with the broad aspects of our contemporary world.

– How and when did you become interested in photography?

In 2001 my uncle came to visit me with his SLR camera and I loved the mechanical aspects of it. Soon after, I bought a Nikon F60 and got into photography.

– Is there any artist/photographer who inspired your art?

Lately it has been Robert Capa, Léonard Misonne, William Turner and Käthe Kollwitz.

– Why do you work in black and white rather than colour?

The abstraction of black and white helps to emphasise the abstract qualities of the image.

– How much preparation do you put into taking a photograph/series of photographs?

I normally start with an idea, then test some visual approaches and a concept is formed as I start to shoot. For my current work I’ve borrowed my wife’s old digital camera and am having
fun playing with a combination of slow speeds and moving subjects. Editing is limited to what I would be able to do in a darkroom – dodging and burning, split contrast, etc.

– Where is your photography going? What projects would you like to accomplish?

Photography helps me understand the world we live in, and understand more about myself. The current series I’ve started to work on is about what is at the core of our endless need for
more even when we already have so much, and how that force is manifested in the world we live in.

Current work: Introduction

Rumbling

I had a strange dream. I was walking through a city of gold, sheltered from most deprivations of the world, with glittering towers beneath a clear blue sky, and through houses of opulence
brimming with all the treasures one could ever desire. Along its boulevards, I saw marvellous machines and flawless beings who seemed to lack nothing. But they all looked hastened, in
a quest for something…

Website: https://ricyamamoto.wixsite.com/images