Yosigo’s warm, vivid Wanderlust photos

Swimming corpses in turquoise water; perfect geometric architecture with a distinct soft background; a series of street shots that will arrest themselves, but when viewed together, tell the story of a city. The work of photographer José Javier Serrano (known as Yosigo) was immediately identified. On Instagram, it was widely copied (but never faithfully imitated), where he attracted fans and followers from all over the world.

It is easy to see why Serrano’s work resonates with many people. His images are the result of the artist’s global exploration, capturing the unique perspectives of familiar and foreign countries, instilling a sense of wandering with numerous senses of wandering and evoking the vivid pleasure of travel. His latest exhibition, “Festive Memories,” is a compilation of striking, meticulously captured moments he experienced on the road. After attracting 400,000 South Korean tourists, it arrived at Shibuya’s Tokyo Plaza, which made his Japanese fans look forward to it.

The exhibition begins with Serrano’s most famous photograph: vivid, geometric architectural lenses are carefully placed together, thus creating a visual bridge between foreign countries. From there, it was destroyed by the country, taking visitors to the world tour: Bathrooms in Budapest, Mediterranean beach views, American amusement parks.

There is also a special part specifically targeting Japan, with dark and fantastic photos that sometimes appear in the mist. He photographed the country’s iconic symbols – KOI Fish, Izakaya, Tokyo Tower nestled among skyscrapers – but somehow unfamiliar and almost fantastic. It’s obvious that Serrano has gained a lot of inspiration since his time in Tokyo, which makes it more meaningful to show it here.

Observe the traveler

Serrano’s nickname is apt: the Spanish word “yo sigo” translates to “I follow” or “I keep going”, which is the right artist name for a wandering photographer. His current exhibition centers on travel and leisure – a theme that has been around in his work, reflecting the small town he was raised. San Sebastian, it’s very touristy, the first photo I took explores how we spend our free time. ” He reported.

But just because his photos capture leisure doesn’t mean they’re going to be idle, he takes leisure travel seriously. “I don’t like having a critical view of tourism,” Serrano explained. “I think I just built my own fictional visual world by traveling and seeing other people traveling.”

His non-judgmental observations are obvious. His images are vibrant and bold, but have elements of attention to color visuals. When he captured humans in his photos, these subjects were without cameras, and his architectural works showed perfect apartments with sporadic signs of life, such as washing clothes in the sun.

But Serrano’s eyes were not unilateral. He believes that his work is a dialogue with a specific place. “Every country will eventually ask you something,” he said, recalling his trip to the United States, the coast heading to the coast. Initially, he tried abstract techniques, but he quickly realized that this was not the best way to express what he perceived. “This country thinks of American color photography from the 70s, which I’m passionate about. The territory itself requires me to provide more formal photos to avoid painting and more realistic.”

For Serrano, this perception or planning change is welcome. “When territory changed my initial thoughts, I felt like I was doing it right. My positive feelings and reactions. It was almost more important than the photo itself.”

Greetings from Japan

Japan also asked about Serrano. In contrast to the United States, which demands record in a distinct, surreal style, Japan makes photographers feel attracted to abstraction. “Photographing Japan has had a big impact on me. I started to be interested in diffraction, blurry photos, shaky photos, and this is a different technique I started applying to other projects.”

Yosigo’s image of this country is different from most of his other photos. While he is usually known for his use of bright colors, Serrano photographs Japan in dark, moody tones, rather than habit. “To me, Japan has a lot of mystery. There is a lot of light, but the dark elements are hard to understand. I often feel like I’m dreaming there, not there, and I think it’s shown in the photos.”

He also captures the landscape in a different way: Serrano’s photography usually focuses on architecture and landscape, and when he takes pictures of people, usually from far away places. Interestingly, his many images of Japan capture individuals.

When asked about the decision to take close-ups, he replied, “They are a set of photos that make up a larger image besides the separate photos.” “I don’t usually give people who are taking the place I take,” but that’s different. He felt that he could not capture the world of Japan without turning his camera closely to the people who lived there.

“Festive Memories” will end in late December, but Serrano’s adventure in Japan is far from over. “I want to spend more time in Tokyo,” he said. “I developed several projects here and eventually I would love to write a book about all of them.”

Serrano’s worldview attracted the eyes and hearts of many, those who witnessed his pictures on a whimsical journey—but the whimsical people obscured their depth. Through his eyes, travel photography is more than just a careful observation. It’s about finding a place’s spirit and creating your own world around it.

Find Serrano on @Instagramyosigo_yosigo.