'Assembly' by Osamu Yokonami: A photographic gem worth highlighting

Assembly is a beautiful series of photographs that was taken by the Tokyo based artist Osamu Yokonami (1967). His photographs may be understood as a commentary on personal identity within social groups. In his group portraits of uniformed girls, Yokonamu explores the power of clothing in relation to collective identity, set against the immensity of nature.

Even though each girl has her own personality, the uniforms temporarily erase those personalities, creating a collective identity instead. That simple yet powerful effect becomes even stronger against a mighty background.

At first sight, it often seems as if you are looking at one girl in different stages of a movement. It’s remarkable how uniforms can create the impression of no longer seeing individuals, but looking at the same person instead. This is what makes Yokonami’s idyllic and mysterious scenes seem somewhat surreal.

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