Photographer Q. Sakamaki, with his wife, Kuniko, in an early 1990’s photo, above, has been an East Villager since the mid-’80’s. A Japanese native, Sakamaki began by photographing the AIDS crisis, the nightclub and gay scenes, squatters and Tompkins Square’s “Tent City.” He then evolved into an elite conflict photographer, covering global war zones. His work has been published widely, including frequently in The Villager and East Villager, garnering many prestigious awards. Carlucci Bencivenga, right, was a charismatic creator in graffiti, video, new sound, painting and sculpture and a Lower East Side arts luminary. He died September 2007 in his Stanton St. studio at age 38. A Bronx native, he was a member of the Morris Park Crew of graffiti bombers, going by the tag ELF MPC or ELF One. He was a School of Visual Arts graduate.
