We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Akio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Recently I completed my project entitled “Embroidered Optimism” in April 2024, which showed photos from Israel and Palestine (West Bank) I had taken in 2018. I had never really shown these photos before, but with the October 7th attacks, and subsequent war in Gaza, I felt the need to show them. It is a horrible situation there, and I find very little constructive dialogue occurring. So I wanted to spur some conversation by showing photos of this region.

I also embroidered using thread through these photos. I chose embroidery as tatreez is a beautiful historic art form from Palestine, so I wanted to pay homage to this. At first it was very nerve-wracking piercing these expensive prints with a needle, but it became easier and less stressful. These allowed me to interact with the photo in a new way, but also add some of my commentary into the photo.

I aimed to provide facts and information that individuals may not know about the region or history. The project was well-received (which I was nervous about in the lead up to me releasing this project). But reinforced my need to work on projects that have a meaning, which can resonate and educate others and can hopefully bring us closer together.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is David Akio Grant, and I am a photographer based in Toronto, Canada. I grew up in Scarborough, a hugely diverse part of the city where my high school probably had kids from 50+ countries. There was not one dominant ethnicity, and it was incredible to grow up in that environment (which you don’t even really understand at that age). I also grew up in a mixed household, as my Mom is Japanese and my Dad Canadian (English Scottish background).

These two factors exposed me to the power of diversity in cultures, upbringings and the beauty of the world represented in the different people, places and foods it provides.

It also instilled in me a sense of wonder in the world, and kicked off a life long love affair with travel, which ultimately led to my current artistic focus as a photographer. I’m a self-taught photographer who learned through trial and error just shooting as many images as I could in various styles taking photos for over 10 years. While I’ve done event photography, headshots, promo material for musicians etc. what I truly love is travel photography: capturing the cultures, uniqueness and essence of a place and its people particularly special moments gone in an instant. I love doing portraits of diverse people, and learning something new about our world. I currently sell my photos as fine-art prints, sold in limited run editions where I’ve shown in galleries across Toronto.

I’ve been lucky to live in several places around the globe (from Japan, Brazil, New York, Malaysia, Australia) which has shaped my viewpoint of our planet. And through that, also been lucky to travel to 60+ countries in my life.

My ultimate goal is to show places that everybody may not be able to see, or places that are misunderstood or misrepresented by traditional media. I want to break down barriers between countries, religions, people and show we’re all part of the same planet. I have particular interest in diversity of culture, uniqueness of traditions, human’s relationship with nature (and its dangerous impact on climate change) and ongoing effects of colonialism.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think the best way to support artists is to appreciate how hard it can be to be one. Support them through attending their exhibitions, sharing their content on social media and word of mouth. And of course…Buy Their Art! Buy that painting you see at an art show by a local painter, purchase that photograph you see at a gallery. Avoid generic mass-produced ‘art’ you can get at Bed, Bath & Beyond or HomeSense.

Appreciate the uniqueness of each artists vision. There is art for everybody, at every budget. Each purchase goes a long way, both financially supporting the artist, but also encouraging and validating their need to create. It is hard being an artist in today’s world with the cost of living being so high, art being so competitive, and the ability to have your art and style be copied so quickly on the internet.

The more you support art, the more artists can create more art! And that helps make our world just slightly more beautiful than it already is.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission as a photographer and artist is to document the beauty and realities of our planet. Every day there are amazing things happening, and luckily for us we’re now able to see and share it across the world as cameras become more ubiquitous. There are also horrific things happening which we can also expose as well.

Ultimately I want to remove hate from our world, and replace it with peace and understanding.. As hippy as that sounds, it is something that is totally feasible. In my travels I have been treated so kindly by people all over the world. I recognise my luck being a mixed guy, who can blend in in many countries (I call myself culturally ambiguous) but it also allows me to get a sense of how many good people there are on this planet. The overwhelming majority of us just want peace, but the small vocal minority cause problems for so many more of us.

So I hope through my photographs you can see some of the beauty I see (and have experienced) and also can learn something about places you may not know too much about, and realise we’re all more similar than we are different.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.davidakiogrant.com
• Instagram: @davidakiogrant
• Facebook: David Akio Grant Photography

Image Credits

All photos are owned by me: David Akio Grant