Fujifilm/penumbra foundation internship program | 2025
Harlem | Katsu Naito
Digitized by Assane Sy
Image © Katsu Naito. Courtesy of the artist.
“The images come from a period when Harlem was standing at the edge of transformation—the final years before gentrification began to reshape the neighborhood. Each portrait carries the quiet dignity of the people who lived there, and to see these moments revisited and digitized on such a remarkable stage fills me with gratitude.”
“This collaboration reminded me of the importance of preserving not just images, but the human stories behind them. The experience has reaffirmed my belief that photography, at its best, is a bridge between memory and the present moment.”
- Katsu Naito
Images © Katsu Naito. Courtesy of the artist.
Photographer Katsu Kaito and intern Assane Sy working on the digitization of the Harlem project
“From evaluating the condition of materials to assigning file numbers, scanning negatives, managing and naming files, and inputting metadata, I gained a deeper insight into how preserving work is important.
The structure of the internship provided consistent support, growth and opportunities for my career.”
-Assane Sy
Artist Bio:
Katsu Naito is a Japanese-born photographer who has lived in New York City since 1983. Known for his portraiture and street photography, Naito’s work centers on individuals living at the margins of society—approaching each subject with a quiet, observant eye and deep respect for their dignity.
In 2010, he released West Side Rendezvous, a groundbreaking series of portraits capturing trans women sex workers in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District in the early 1990s. Celebrated for its intimacy and rare access, the project marked Naito’s emergence as a powerful documentary voice. His second monograph, Once in Harlem (2017, TBW Books), is a lyrical study of life in Harlem during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period during which he lived in the neighborhood and formed long-standing relationships with its residents.
Naito’s practice is defined by patience and sensitivity, often spending extended periods with his subjects before photographing them. His images are grounded in stillness and emotion, capturing the humanity of everyday lives with subtle power.
He continues to live and work in New York, creating photography that bridges cultures, time, and memory through the lens of lived experience.
Intern Bio:
Assane Sy is a Brooklyn-based photographer from Northern Senegal whose work explores the evolving relationship between tradition, culture, and self. Drawing from a blend of local heritage and global visual references, his photography reflects a deep interest in how communities navigate identity and authorship across space and time. Working primarily through the lenses of Portraiture, Fashion, and Fine Art, Assane creates images that challenge exclusionary frameworks within contemporary art, offering instead a visual language grounded in care, complexity, and presence. He is an alumnus of the International Center of Photography, the NYFA Immigrant Artist Program, and ArtsConnection. His work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Lives Art Gallery, the Africa Center, ICP, Photoville, and Soho Photo Gallery, among others. Through his practice, Assane contributes to an emerging generation of artists reshaping discourses around representation, cultural memory, and what it means to belong, both locally and globally.
This program is possible thanks to the vision and support of Fujifilm.
Our Digitization System was made possible by a 2024 Capital Grant by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
