Yuki Iwamura 2020 Sunday Times Award for Achievement
The speaker talks during “Meet and Greet Front Row Joes from Across the USA” on June 3rd, 2019 at Harry’s Restaurant in Washington DC. “Front Row Joes” is the group of Trump supporters who camp out for hours ahead of a Presidential appearance. © Yuki Iwamura
The U.S. President Donald J. Trump appears in the viewfinder of a TV camera at his Keep American Great Again Rally in Wildwood, NJ, US on January 28th, 2020. © Yuki Iwamura
A police officer stands in front of Virginia Washington Monument during Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) Lobby Day rally at the state capitol in Richmond, VA, US on Monday, January 20th, 2020. © Yuki Iwamura
Trump Supporters sing patriotic songs during “Rally for Trump” on July 3rd, 2019 in front of White House in Washington DC. © Yuki Iwamura
Group of Trump supporters with cowboy hat watch President Trump’s statement during the “Salute to America” on July 4th, 2019 at National Mall in Washington DC. © Yuki Iwamura
Members of National Socialist Movement, a neo-nazi organization based in Detroit Michigan prepare to counter-protest at Motor City Pride Parade on June 8th, 2019 at Bob Evans, a restaurant near Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan. © Yuki Iwamura
A member of National Socialist Movement, a neo-nazi organization based in Detroit, Michigan shows his T-shirt before counter-protesting at Motor City Pride Parade on June 8th, 2019 at Bob Evans, a restaurant near Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan. © Yuki Iwamura
Demonstrators carrying rifles attend Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) Lobby Day rally at the state capitol in Richmond, VA, US on Monday, January 20th, 2020. The VCDL, prominent in the state’s Second Amendment rights movement, said the event will be focused on opposing sweeping gun control measures that could be enacted in the upcoming week. © Yuki Iwamura
US Marine Corps gather at Times Square for the photoshoot during the Fleet Week on May 23rd, 2019 in Manhattan, NY. © Yuki Iwamura
Military troops walk in order before “Salute to America”, a patriotic event led by President Trump on Independence Day on July 4th, 2019 in Washington DC. © Yuki Iwamura
People attend the annual fireworks event after US President Donald J. Trump gives his state at Lincoln Monument on July 4th, 2020 in Washington DC. © Yuki Iwamura
The American flag is seen at back-stage before presidential candidate rally at Concord, New Hampshire on February 11th, 2020. © Yuki Iwamura
American Pride
The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States was held on January 20th, 2017. Since then, the rise of patriotism and the idea of white nationalism has been growing dramatically. The statistics show President Trump gained votes from blue-collar white voters, living outside of metropolitan cities where still the “classic idea” of American conservatism is deeply rooted. Moving from Japan to the United States, the photographer witnessed varieties of patriotism, not only determined by the political ideology but also the feelings of love, dedication, and attachment to the homeland. The photo series ‘American Pride’ explores what it means to be patriotic in this age, the relationships between the passion and motivation of Trump supporters, and classic American culture rooted in rural areas.
About the Photographer
Yuki Iwamura (b. 1997) is a freelance photographer based in New York City, but was born and raised in Nagano, Japan. After he moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to study Sociology, he also began his career as a photojournalist for Japanese and college newspapers. While he works as a freelance photographer, he also travels around the world producing stories with some focusing on the collapse of the nation-state, border, and immigration. He is currently working on a story about aging and death from his hometown, Nagano, Japan. He is a recent graduate of the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism programme at the International Center of Photography in New York.