Sebastian Piras is a noted New York based photographer and filmmaker. His main photographic subject matter has been portraiture. "Artists Exposed", published in 1996, is a partial collection of captivating portraits of known and unknown artists and players in the international arts scene, including Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein and so on. David Ross, former Director of the Whitney Museum, wrote the introduction for the book, heralding Piras' photos as:"...probing and extraordinarily beautiful portraits of artists...that ultimately produces winners at both ends of the camera."

The show contains his well-known photographs from Artists' Portraits as well as his color photographs from the series "Amerikana".

Sebastian Piras is an Italian-born, New York City-based artist who has exhibited his photography and film work internationally. Early on in his career, Piras was encouraged by Andy Warhol, whom he met through Robert Mapplehrope, to focus on artists' portraits. This led to his well-known series "Artists Exposed", captivating portraits of known and emerging artists and heavy-hitters in the international arts scene, including Andy Warhol, Roy Liechtenstein, Murakami etc. David Ross, former Director of the Whitney Museum, heralded Piras' photos as, " ...probing and extraordinarily beautiful portraits of artists...that ultimately produces winners at both ends of the camera." These photos have been published in two books: Artists Exposed and A Pocketful of Contemporary Artists Portraits, using images taken from 1986 till 2006.

"Amerikana Diary", Piras' debut show in Japan, will use his artist portraits as well as color photographs from the series "Amerikana" - images taken in digital format. "I like the practicality and accessibility of digital photography, and especially the fact that it has democratized the whole photographic process," Says Piras. "An image can now be taken with a very expensive camera or with a telephone anywhere and by anyone; in either case, the results can be surprisingly interesting."

Piras' images have been published and collected worldwide, his photos exhibited in galleries such as Blum- Heiman Gallery, Robin Rice Gallery, Soho Photo Gallery, and Space Untitled in NYC, the Wurth Museum Kunzelsau, Germany, and Galleria Miralli, and EXMA Italy, and at the prestigious Armory show in NYC. Piras has directed and filmed several documentaries, including "Taylor Mead Unleashed", which also featured the late Allen Ginsberg and Quentin Crisp, a short segment on Robert Wilsons installation of the Giorgio Armani exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, NYC. Last year he directed the short film ''Art Depot" which was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival and was one of 10 out of 1800 shorts selected by the National Film Board of Canada for its Online Short Film Contest. Piras has done extensive work both in TV broadcasting and on feature films as a photographer, director and producer. He is currently photographing and co-producing a video profile on architect Richard Meier and is in pre-production for a new short film in NY. Piras also developed and taught a program to teach film and photography in New York City public schools with various NY Arts organizations.