George Nobechi | Here. Still.

Here. Still.
By George Nobechi

“There is a Japanese word: Nukumori, a warmth that sometimes can refer to the presence of someone who occupied
a place but had departed: an empty chair, a teacup, a potter’s work table, the inside of a bus or train car, and of course, the many hotels and motels where I found myself.
Nothing in the series is staged; everything is just as I found it in real life, and what exists inside is as important as what is outside the window.”
– George Nobechi

“I continued my journeys for nearly a thousand days, and as I did, I made photographs where I felt the presence of humanity inside space and the stillness of life unfolding beyond the window: visible, even tangible, but inaccessible, as if on a screen in an empty theatre.”
– George Nobechi

These photographs started from my sense of disconnection from life itself, as though I were walking through a film, only I wasn’t part of it. When I was nineteen and at university in Vancouver, Canada, my father suddenly passed away. After graduating, I moved to Tokyo to work in Finance to support my family.

A dozen years later, my career had taken me to New York, where I felt burned out. I gave up the lease on my apartment, put all my things in storage, and looked ahead to a completely uncertain future. I realized that I had never reconciled with the direction of my life after my father’s death. I set out on the road with just a backpack and suitcase, wondering where my path would take me.
Through a series of events, I wound up in the Southwest United States to study photography. I found a photograph from 2009 that I had made in a hotel room at Lake Louise, Canada, a place my father used to take our family. I remembered being there, alone in that room and looking out at the late summer twilight and the turquoise lake beyond the window.

I continued my journeys for nearly a thousand days, and as I did, I made photographs where I felt the presence of humanity inside space and the stillness of life unfolding beyond the window: visible, even tangible, but inaccessible, as if on a screen in an empty theatre. I recalled my childhood growing up in the organized chaos of Tokyo, looking out on the enormous city from a bedroom window, which provided a safe distance from which to view the world.

There is a Japanese word: nukumori, a warmth that sometimes can refer to the presence of someone who occupied a place but had departed: an empty chair, a teacup, a potter’s work table, the inside of a bus or train car, and of course, the many hotels and motels where I found myself. Nothing in the series is staged; everything is just as I found it in real life, and what exists inside is as important as what is outside the window.

George Nobechi

George Nobechi’s artistry is deeply infused with themes of solitude, duality, and longing, creating an emotional landscape that resonates with many. As a bicultural individual navigating between Japanese and Canadian heritages, he experiences a unique vantage point, embodying the complexities of being both an insider and outsider within the rich tapestry of Eastern and Western cultures. This nuanced perspective profoundly shapes his artistic sensibility and vision.

Born in Tokyo to a Canadian father and a Japanese mother, Nobechi’s formative years were significantly influenced by his Japanese grandfather, a devoted high school teacher residing in Hokkaido, who instilled in him a fervent love for learning that encompassed the arts, science, and history.
These early influences remained a guiding force when his family relocated to Canada at the age of eleven. His academic journey led him to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where tragedy struck with the unexpected death of his father. Nobechi persevered and graduated with an Honors Degree in History and International Relations in 2002, launching into a career in Finance that took him from the bustling streets of Tokyo to the financial heart of New York City.
Despite professional success, Nobechi began to experience a profound sense of disconnection from the world around him.
Seeking to bridge the emotional gap, he embarked on transformative solo journeys across the globe in 2008 and 2010, searching for a more profound sense of purpose.
In 2014, while residing in New York, a pivotal moment came when he attended the Photoville photo festival, inspiring him to abandon the corporate world. He stored away his possessions, relinquished his apartment lease, and traveled to the Southwestern United States to immerse himself in photography.

“I realized that I had never reconciled with the direction of my life after my father’s death.
I set out on the road with just a backpack and suitcase, wondering where my path would take me.”
– George Nobechi

Under the mentorship of Brett L. Erickson and later as an intern at the renowned Santa Fe Photographic Workshops in 2015, he encountered National Geographic photographer Sam Abell, who saw great potential in him and encouraged Nobechi to pursue a photography career.
What followed was an extraordinary three-year journey without a permanent home, during which Nobechi’s longing to reconnect with his roots led him back to Japan. This return allowed him to rediscover his homeland through his camera lens, revealing new perspectives that enriched his work.

Since 2020, Nobechi has channeled his passion into community service and philanthropic endeavors, creating the series Evenings with the Masters©. This initiative highlights the work of internationally renowned master photographers while raising vital funds for charitable causes.
He has conducted interviews with 36 photographers, including notable figures such as Pete Souza, Michael Kenna, and Jane Evelyn Atwood, successfully raising over $70,000 for various charities.

“These photographs started from my sense of disconnection from life itself, as though I were walking through a film, only I wasn’t part of it.”
– George Nobechi

In 2022, Nobechi was honored to represent Japan in the Fujifilm documentary series Reflections, which showcased his artistic journey and cultural connection. Building on this momentum, in 2023, he co-founded the Karuizawa Foto Fest, a dynamic platform designed to support and nurture photographers from around the globe. He currently serves as the Creative Director of KFF, continuing to inspire and uplift the photographic community.

Website: georgenobechi.com | Instagram: @georgenobechi
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