Yokonami's Girl Gangs

This series by Japanese photographer Osamu Yokonami sent my mind wandering… “Osamu Yokonami considers the power of dress as a symbol that alternately marks or dissolves identity. In his latest series, Assembly, Yokonami depicts uniformed girls acting in unison set against the vastness of nature, achieving a simplicity that allows the individual girls to disappear and the expressiveness of the group to come the fore. Tending towards the cinematic, the overall tenor vacillates from cheerful and light-hearted to melancholic and even eerie. Yokonami explores the fine line between light and darkness, innocence and vice while touching on notions about group dynamics, individuality, and anonymity.” (Desoto Gallery)

The images took me right back to my childhood, to moments of carefree exploration that are so incredibly rare now. Sometimes I get glimmers of them when I travel. Then, I'm completely anonymous. It feels as if the world moves in slow motion and I'm seeing it for the very first time.