Losolmo gym is in Cuba's second city of Santiago. The boys here train barefoot, dressed in little more than rags. The equipment is decrepit. The boxing ring floor is unevenly patched together, the ropes are frayed and there is barely enough equipment to go round and it has produced four olympic champions. Each of these impoverished Cuban boys carries the dream of becoming a champion. I think it is not for the money, not even for the fame, but for these boys to be a boxer is the noble and heroic pinnacle of human aspiration.
Daisuke Ito was born in 1976 in Japan. He had learned photography for two years at IDEP in Bacelona, Spain.
He had wandered around Central and South America for two years.
He started his career as a photographer in 2005 in slum named Chapéu Mangueira in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He works in editorial and advertising of Brazil and Japan after his return to Japan in 2016.
Awards 2009
"Mainichi Newspaper Award" in the 10th Ueno Hikoma Award, Japan
2010
Shortlisted for Sony World Photography Awards in Professional Sport category
Honorable Mention, Lens Culture International Exposure Awards
Honorable Mention, The 2010 International Photography Awards
2011
Lucie Foundation Scholarship
Burn Magazine Emerging Photographer Grant 2011 FINALISTA
2st Place, Prix de la Photographie Paris
Honorable Mention, The 2011 International Photography Awards
Overseas Training Grant for Emerging Artists, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese Government
2012
The PGB Photo Award 2012, Picture Story of Year Sports 2ND Place
Honorable Mention, Prix de la Photographie Paris
Honorable Mention, Premio Brasil Fotografia 2012
2013
1st Place, Prix de la Photographie Paris
Honorable Mention, The 2013 International Photography Awards
2017
2st Place, Prix de la Photographie Paris
Professional Advertising, Catalogues
