Interview: Katsu Naito

Photographer Katsu Naito came to New York in 1983 and discovered his interest in photography whilst working as a chef for a Japanese restaurant. In the early 90s he began to take photographs in the legendary Meatpacking District, portraying streetwalkers and loners, transsexuals and transvestites of all races and backgrounds. Pictured in their immediate environment, the eccentric sometimes mischievous characters were shot in the early afternoons, when their faces haven't been covered by make-up and natural expressions could be captured by the camera.

Katsu Naito selected 23 of the black and white photographs for his exhibition 'West Side Rendezvous', taking place from 22 July to 31 July at LN-CC. All of the 45 images are part of the book 'West Side Rendezvous', launched by London-based independent publisher Wild Life Press.

LN-CC: You have lived in New York since the early 80s. What is it that attracted you to it as a city?

Katsu Naito: It's everything. All races, religions, different cultures, clubs - even a little unknown flower on the street has a story. I had no plans to stay here other than completing my three years working contract as a chef for a restaurant. Unfortunately I was fired after two years and it was then I got deeper into black and white photography. New York City is changing constantly, yet there is always a key spot where people of all walks of life can get together. This is amazing.

LN-CC: Was everyone embracing the idea or did some of the streetwalkers refuse to get photographed? How much did you direct your subjects?

Katsu Naito: I frequented the area often until they were very comfortable with me and my camera before I even asked to photograph them. Often I would ask them where and how to stand and where to look. Sometimes something great would just happen spontaneously.

LN-CC: Your images are very powerful but also capture a sensitivity and vulnerability - was this your intention when taking the photographs?

Katsu Naito: I believe all the situations and locations helped. I wanted to photograph their faces and expressions without their make-up to capture that moment which came naturally and spontaneously from the subject.

LN-CC: During the time you were taking these photographs the Meatpacking District was at the centre of underground New York nightlife. What did you see your role as in this scene? Did you spend time there when you weren't photographing?

Katsu Naito: I wanted to photograph my subject in their natural working environment. Sometimes I would go to Florent to have a light meal, apart from that I knew where to draw the line between myself and the area. There were many things going on in this area at night but under the daylight, another reality existed. That was what I wanted to photograph.

LN-CC: How come you decided now after quite a long time to show these photographs in an exhibition and to publish them in a book format?

Katsu Naito: I was not thinking to exhibit my work at this time. A friend of mine Daiki Suzuki asked me to have an exhibition in Nepenthes New York in 2010. This is how this project has begun. My photographs started to walk alone in many ways. This happened because of the effort of the people around me is amazing. Thanks to Steve Terry and his team I'm now exhibiting at LN-CC - it means a lot to me that I can share my photographs with others.

LN-CC: Do you still take photographs day-to-day? If so, how has your choice of subject changed and developed since then?

Katsu Naito: Yes I do. Taking pictures of street corners in New York is an ongoing project and also photographing my surrounding when I go fly fishing on the rivers of the Catskill region in New York. At the moment I'm selecting photographs I've taken in Harlem from 1987 to 1997 for a possible future exhibition. When the subject changes, the way of approach will also change.

Interview by Lilli Heinemann
Photography by Katsu Naito