Chronology

A working visual map of a multidisciplinary practice spanning photography, mixed media, construction, digital design, sound, and moving image. Confirmed dates are shown alongside approximate periods that will be refined as earlier documents become available.

Masashi Ohtsu

EARLY 1980s–PRESENT · SELECTED MILESTONES

Visual Chronology

Masashi's practice has developed through overlapping forms rather than a single progression. Photography remains the foundation, while material work, digital collaboration, sound, and moving image continue to inform one another.

Overlapping fields

Photography→Material practice→Digital collaboration→Sound + moving image→Multimedia
  1. 1983–1987
    Education

    Photographic foundation

    Formal studies established photography as the foundation of a practice that continues to move across disciplines.

    Rutgers University · 1983–84Parsons School of Design, New York City · BFA in Photography · 1984–87
  2. 1986–present
    Photography

    Commercial photography

    Editorial, advertising, portrait, lifestyle, travel, and e-commerce assignments developed alongside the studio practice and continue today.

    Photographer's assistant and assignment photographer · 1986–1990sJapanese magazine assignments · from 1986Editorial + advertising · from 1986Fashion e-commerce · 2017–2026Portraits · from 1986Lifestyle + travel · from 1986
  3. Early 1980s–1992
    Performance + installation

    Downtown experimentation

    Photography expanded into experimental theater, installation, and collaborative production in New York.

    Experimental theaterSquat Theatre · 1991The Working Playground8th Street Productions · 1992Installations + exhibitions · 1990–92
  4. Late 1980s–1990s
    Material practice

    Construction, mixed media and painting

    Construction work with artist Stephen Torton introduced materials and techniques—including a freestyle Stucco Fiorentino process—that moved directly into painting and mixed-media experiments. Related construction and photographic work extended from New York to Paris, Florence, Dakar, Nicaragua, and Brazil.

    69 Roses · 1989Senegal · c. 1990Plastic Fantastic · c. 1990–91A Triptych with Diptychs · c. 1990–91Cross Series · 1991
  5. 1994
    Travel + documentary

    Managua

    A film-related trip to Nicaragua became a documentary photography series and an early marker of the international work.

    Managua, NicaraguaFilm trip + photographic series
  6. 1995–present
    Digital design + collaboration

    BMM Art and Computer Inc.

    Founded in 1995 as a family business by Ben, Masashi, and Masakazu, BMM Art and Computer Inc. brought art, photography, and emerging digital tools into an ongoing collaborative practice.

    Family collaborationArt + computer technologyDigital production
  7. 2001–present
    Sound + moving image

    Buddhafunk and the moving-image archive

    Masashi founded Buddhafunk in 2001 as an independent label for original and experimental releases. Music, sound, video, and short moving-image works became a more defined part of the practice.

    Buddhafunk independent label · 2001The Black Crowes: Cabin Fever · co-director, cinematographer, and editor · 2009A Soundtrack to an Imaginary Film · 2010Wet Pinkey · 2011
  8. Current
    Contemporary photography + multimedia

    Ongoing bodies of work

    Long-form photography projects continue independently; several also incorporate sound or moving-image elements. Experiments with Sound and Vision remains an evolving body of work.

    Reflection in Transit · 2016–presentTunnel Ghosts · 2017–presentScenes from a Pandemic · 2020–2021; completed 2023Experiments with Sound and Vision · 2022–present