Gonta used to be a homeless man in Kabukicho area. Yang met Gonta by chance in 1998 when he was photographing. They soon became friends. When Gonta says “there”, Yang feels he is the person “there”. For Gonta, the distinction is between people who have a place to go home to. For Yang, Gonta is his friend. It pains him to think they remain “there” and “here”. This book is the sequel to its volume one published in 2006 by Shinpusha.

Artist Profile

YANG Seung-Woo

Born in Korea, Seung-Woo Yang first came to Japan in 1996. After graduating from Nippon Photography Institute and the photography department of Tokyo Polytechnic University, he completed his graduate research in Media Art at Tokyo Polytechnic University and continued his career in Japan. In 2016, his publication “Shinjuku Lost Child” with Zen Foto Gallery, a monochrome street photography series which focused on the people at Kabukicho, Shinjuku received the 36th Domon Ken Award. He also released “End of the Line - Kotobukicho” with Zen Foto Gallery in 2017 and had his solo exhibition in inbetween gallery, Paris, expanding his activities internationally. His other publications so far include “You’re there and I’m here” (Shinpusha, 2006), “You’re there and I’m here 2” (Zen Foto Gallery, 2011), “The Best Days” (Zen Foto Gallery, 2012), “The Best Days” new edition (Zen Foto Gallery, 2019), "The Last Cabaret" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2020), "Yang-Taro Baka-Taro" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2021), "TEKIYA" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2022) and "Baggage" (Zen Foto Gallery, 2023).

Gallery Exhibitions