Photography, because it is both familiar and accessible, is an excellent medium for young people to use for self-expression. With this as a guiding principle, the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (K*MoPA) in Yamanashi Prefecture has sought since its founding in 1995 to contribute to society by purchasing the work of promising young photographers.
"Very often, young people cannot see what they do well unless someone points it out to them," says museum director and photographer Eikoh Hosoe. "For young artists, having a work purchased by a museum can provide a tremendous boost in confidence. Without that, they may lose faith in their abilities and stop creating.
"They may even throw out their work. So that is the other aim of our acquisition program — to collect and preserve photographers' early work that might otherwise be scattered or lost."