KIZUNA

絆 Kizuna 7 Photography Exhibition

Past the Devastation - Toward the Future

 

Last year, I curated the photo exhibition 絆 Kizuna 6: Resilience. The exhibition was a collection of images captured by numerous photographers and journalists documenting the first six years after the violent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that occurred in Japan’s Tohoku region on March 11, 2011. The photographs were exhibited in several venues and accompanied a ceremony marking the sixth anniversary of the disaster. The exhibition highlighted both the resilience of the people affected by the disaster and their indefatigable spirit moving forward. 

 

This year’s exhibition expands upon that theme, but it is a more personal one. Unless otherwise noted, the exhibition photographs were taken during my travels to the affected areas in the summer and fall of 2017; they are the result of interviews and interactions with residents who were either directly affected by the events of seven years ago or were instrumental in relief efforts and services in the wake of the disaster. While last year’s theme was the resilience of the Japanese spirit, this year’s images focus on resolve in the face of tragedy, highlighting collective efforts to move forward, despite the heavy burden the inhabitants of Tohoku have faced. The scars of the disaster are visible: the loss of life in coastal areas; the damage and destruction that have yet to be addressed; and hauntingly, the contaminated land that remains uninhabitable. They are ever-present reminders of the past. However, it is time to expand the lexicon of images associated with 3/11, to update the images etched into our collective consciousness with brand-new images highlighting reconstruction, innovation, and progression. These images pay homage to the past and illuminate a new pathway forward for the affected areas. 

 

Alan Labb

Associate Professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

​Photographer: 絆 Kizuna 7 Photography Exhibition