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Susumu
Sato’s photography has spanned three decades in Manhattan–from his early street
photography in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson, through editorial work including
covers for The New York Time Magazine, Self, and Money, still-life advertising projects,
and personal projects blending technical skill with his eye for portraiture.
Known professionally as Sato, the photographer grew up in Japan
and graduated from the Tokyo College of Photography in 1973. He moved to Manhattan that
year, and soon began photographing the street life of the city, in the tradition of his
heroes–documentary photographers Lee Friedlander, Gary Winogrand, and most
importantly, Cartier-Bresson. In the late
‘70s, he worked as an assistant in advertising photography where he learned
still-life portraiture of commercial products, and went on to master the use of in-studio
water effects. For the past two decades he has alternated between advertising
work–earning prestigious awards including the Gold Medal, Addy, and Clio for his work
for such clients as Movado, Rolling Rock, Pepsi, and other high-profile accounts–to
personal endeavors that are resulting in
exhibitions and book projects, including 18
years documenting Greenwich Village’s Halloween parade;[ “Fantasies & Life
in Greenwich Village”];portraiture (including celebrities sitting in and around The
Harkonnen Chair designed by H.R. Giger for the film, Dune)[”The Harkonnen Chair and 100 Creative Personalities”];
environmental portraiture of celebrities in their unique homes (such as actress Sylvia
Miles in her New York apartment, Las Vegas entertainers Siegfried and Roy in their Jungle
Palace, among others),[”The Talented
& Famous and their Hideaways”]; unique doll collections–particularly of
ancient dolls, found damaged from years of improper storage, which Sato photographs in
settings juxtaposing the antiquity of the dolls with nature or modern environments.
And still-lifes of flags
from many nations recreated in blossoms. The “Flower Power” flag portraits that
received the Award for Excellence from the American Flag Institute in 1999 are in the
collection of President George Bush, Boris Yeltsin, and other national leaders and
celebrities.They are also represented in the permanent collection of the Museum for the
Arts of South Texas. In June of 2000, Sato used more than one hundred photographs of the
American “Flower Power” flag to collage a cow for the Cow Parade New York 2000.
Sato has a long tradition of charitable donations throughout
his career, supporting several AIDS Charities, the Homeless and Battered Women. His fine
art photographs are exhibited in galleries and museums in Europe and in the USA.
Selected Clients
American Express, Burger King, Concord Watches, Chiquita Brands, Coca Cola, Kirin Beer,
Miller Beer, Movado, Pepsi Cola, Rolling Rock/Labatt
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