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"Nusa"is the result of a dialogue between the photographer Masao Yamamoto and the composer and musician Akira Uchida, initiated by IIKKI, between April 2025 and March 2026.

"Nusa" is the last part of a trilogy started in 2020 with Masao Yamamoto and Akira Uchida. A project that began with light (“Sasanami”, 2020), moved through darkness (“Kurayami”, 2023), and returned to the ambivalence of the two (“Nusa”, 2026), which ultimately sustain and complement one another in all their variations and complementarities. Both in terms of tones and in the humanity that runs through us in these times of such stark contrast.

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For this last part of the trilogy, Masao Yamamoto and Akira Uchida travelled to the island of Hokkaido at the beginning of  2026 to supplement the project with photographs and audio recordings of the ice and the surrounding landscapes

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Yamamoto Masao started to photograph when he was 16 years old. He also studied painting but later chose gelatin silver print as his media. His first gallery show in the U.S. was in 1994 in San Francisco. In 1996 he had a solo exhibition at Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York. His works have been shown in Europe since 2006. Besides Japan, U.S.A., and Europe, his museum and gallery exhibitions were held in Moscow and Sao Paulo. Media coverage includes NY Times and other major art magazines.
Yamamoto Masao lives in Yatsugatake Nanroku,Yamanashi Prefecture where he enjoys creating his work while being close to nature.

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(www.yamamotomasao.com)

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Graduated in saxophone from Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Akira Uchida explores sound through tuning, medieval music, and acoustics, supporting jazz pianists as a piano tuner.

After training under instrument maker Masahiro Adachi, he became an independent clavichord builder. In 2020, he created an instrument for Ryuichi Sakamoto. In 2021, he crafted one using reclaimed wood from Kiyomizu-dera Temple (FEEL KIYOMIZUDERA). His work focuses on making, tuning, and performing instruments. Since 2015, he has released 7 albums, including 3 albums on Kiku label and 3 albums on IIKKI including "Nusa".

"Making instruments, tuning sounds, being a musician, this flow is essential for me to see the world".​

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(www.uchida-akira.com)​

 

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Initiated by IIKKI, between April 2025 and March 2026,

Nusa is their dialog.

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Photography: Masao Yamamoto

Music: Akira Uchida

Mastering: Taylor Deupree

Design: sprflxgrfzmTM 

Editing: Masao Yamamoto, Reiko Nakajima, Mathias Van Eecloo

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               E D I T I O N

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• Book: limited edition to 1500 copies, hand numbered & hand stamped. first edition and only edition (no re-print). hardcover book (24 cm x 22 cm), Bodonian binding with visible stitching with cream thread. 108 pages, 67 photos printed on Arena Smooth Ivory 140g/m2, logo and slot embossed (front and back cover) 

     weight: 0,7 Kg

     ISBN: 978-2-489146-00-4​​​​

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• Book: special edition: first 100 copies numbered (01-100), signed by the artist, in a black box with the Nusa ideogram printed on a sticker on Arena Smooth Ivory in the front cover and the IIKKI stamp. Including a Masao Yamamoto Silver Gelatin Print, signed and numbered at the back by the artist. 2 choices are possible for the Silver Gelatin Prints (50 copies for each).

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• Vinyl: limited edition to 200 copies, first pressing and only pressing (no re-press), hand numbered, selective UV varnish (front + back). Cutting lacquer, 12'' cream white vinyl, matte outer sleeve + printed on 300gm paper, white inner with empty hole. mastered by Taylor Deupree.

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• Cd: limited edition to 150 copies, glass mastered, selective UV varnish (front + back+inside). 4-panel matte card package. hand numbered. mastered by Taylor Deupree. 

      available HERE

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