By deconstructing the illusory self-image shaped by the gaze of both self and others, Tomimoto's practice merges human and artificial gazes to explore the subtle dissonance between objective reality and personal perception. Her major exhibitions include Mamono (Ginza Nikon Salon, 2018), HUMAN<3 (Kyoto International Film Festival, 2019), and, under the name TOMIMOTRAVEL, Where Is My Bus?, among others. Tomimoto holds a master's degree from the Graduate School of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Can the self be transcribed in a photograph? This question has guided my work since 2019, leading me to explore water as both a mirror and an observer. With its shifting surface and unfixed depths, water has long been a medium through which humans glimpse their reflection. But what if water does more than reflect? What if it gazes back? The title Manako means "eye" in Japanese. Unlike Me, which refers to the eye as an organ of vision, Manako conveys an awareness of inner depths and emotional movement. In this series, I seek to capture the gaze of water—its presence as an "other" that watches us just as we watch it. Inspired by Sartre's concept of the gaze, where the Other is both seen and unseen, I explore how water, often considered a passive medium, becomes an active participant in perception. The photographic gaze, capable of condensing time and space, reveals fleeting moments in which the boundary between self and other dissolves. By photographing reflections, distortions, and the ephemeral movement of water, I challenge the notion of a fixed self. We are not merely looking at water—we are being seen by it. In this process, the image of the self is shaken, fragmented, and transformed, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship with perception, identity, and the act of seeing itself. Through this work, I explore the fragile, shifting interplay between self and other, image and reality, perception and existence—a silent dialogue held within the gaze of water.