Tohoku - Images of a Disaster

The exhibition comprises images by Japanese and international photographers revealing the terrifying drama and damage wreaked by the earthquake and tsunami along Japan’s north-eastern coastline on 11 ^th March 2011. The work is a mix of art, documentation, reportage and interpretation, first shown in Tokyo earlier this year by Mark Pearson at Zen Foto Gallery.  The exhibition will be in place on the first anniversary of the disaster, providing an opportunity for remembrance and commemoration.

In the immediate aftermath of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Zen Foto Gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo coordinated an exhibition of photographs taken by photographers immediately after the earthquake. Taking place during the aftermath of the disaster, this exhibition included many images of devastation, as they were taken at a time when people were simply struggling to survive an unprecedented natural disaster.

Life goes on in Tohoku, but some things have been affected for ever. In this exhibition, we consider how the people in the region and Japan as a whole have responded to the events of 11 March 2011.  This event is the fruit of collaboration amongst Zen Foto, the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and SOAS. It is supported by the Embassy of Japan in UK and the Japan Society.

Photographers:

Ko Sasaki, Katsuo Takahashi, Junku Nishimura, Shiho Fukada, Yuji Nishijima, Koichi Watanabe, Sebastien Lebegue, Eric Rechsteiner, James Barratt, Yoshiyuki Uchibori