photograph of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani with Robert A.B. Sawyer, Charlotte Sawyer

When Mirikitani lived on the streets from the late 1980s to 2001, his presence—through his creative activities—attracted the attention of several people, including two photographers from Japan: Satō Tetsurō (b. 1961) and Matsuzaki Mikiko (b. 1970). As a freelance photographer, Satō documented various unhoused individuals in New York, including Mirikitani. Matsuzaki, who was studying photography in New York at the time, photographed Mirikitani in various settings. Satō’s photographs often depict Mirikitani looking directly at the camera, reflecting his awareness of being photographed, whereas Matsuzaki’s images present him more candidly, seemingly unaware of the camera. Displayed together, Satō’s and Matsuzaki’s photographs reveal Mirikitani’s everyday life and artistic practice on the streets from multiple perspectives.