As part of the Japan Week in Venice , an exhibition dedicated to sports photography in Japan will be hosted in the space of the Museo dell'Opera in Palazzo Ducale .

The 14 photographers were selected by the dean of Japanese sports photography Akito Mizutani, also present in the exhibition with his shots, the result is an exhibition that brings together the best professionals of different generations. The jump, the throw, the run, the dive, the stroke, the parade, the catch, the kick, the jab: the bodies of the athletes perform the primordial actions of man, refined in the exercise and for the challenge, the photographers they capture the moment in which all this manifests itself.

The 50 images on display show the multitude of sports and categories and pose the intriguing question of professional sports photography, namely whether to favor aesthetics or news, or create a formidable unicum.

The exhibition anticipates Tokyo 2020 the XXXII edition of the Olympics and Paralympics and is created in collaboration with the Japan Camera Industry Institute.

From the Decalogue of sports photography by Akito Mizutani: "Sport, the spectacle of the moment. The essence of sports photography is the rendering into an image of the spectacular moment generated by the athlete. But a formidable shot does not end in mere expression. the precise moment of action and sporting rhythm, as well as in capturing the humanity of the athlete in the race. The heart of sports photography lies in capturing and expressing the decisive emotion in the exact moment in which it manifests itself ".

Akito Mizutani (Nagano 1940) is a sports photographer specializing in various disciplines, known for his artistic approach and the ability to capture and express movement and emotion in sports photography. He has been President of AJPS, the Japanese Sports Press Association since 1993 and has been one of Japan's most respected sports photographers for over 20 years. Among the various awards received, the Kodansha Award in 1981, the JPS Artist Award in 2007 and the Yamaha Challenge Award in 2011. Affiliated to: Tokyo College of Photography, The Photographic Society of Japan, Japan Professional Photographers Society, Association Japan de la Presse Sportive, Association International de la Presse Sportive

Photographers on show: Hideaki Arikawa (Kanagawa 1975), Daisuke Asauchi (1983), Masanori Kobayashi (Kanagawa 1965), Atsuhiko Nakai (1962), Yoshihiro Nomura (1963), Norihisa Oyama (Tokyo 1960), Hidenobu Sato (Nagano 1967), Junko Sato (1968), Norimi Takeda (Yokohama 1981), Sachie Torikai (Takaoka 1982), Akiko Yamamoto (Saitama 1991), Eri Yamamoto (Yokohama 1991), Mitsunori Yoshida (Saitama 1959), Tenpei Yoshioka (Tokyo 1971)