Yuma Tomiyasu @ Maruki Gallery For The Hiroshima Panels, Japan

2023/06/29

Yuma Tomiyasu will hold a solo exhibition at Maruki Gallery For The Hiroshima Panels, starting from July 8, 2012. Please come and see the exhibition.

■冨安 由真　影にのぞむ　
Yuma Tomiyasu　In Presence of Shadows

Period：Jul. 8 - Sep. 24, 2023
Venue：Maruki Gallery For The Hiroshima Panels（401 Shimogarako, Higashi-Matsuyama city, Saitama 355-0076）
Website

[Artist's Comment]
My maternal grandparents were exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 1.5 km from the hypocenter. My grandmother told me about her experience only once before she passed away. Droves of people walked like ghosts with their arms, the skin peeling off, held in front of them. They begged her for help, but, helpless to do so, she desperately fled. My grandmother cried as she recounted her experience, and I haven’t forgotten the extreme shock I felt at the tragedy and horror of what she described.

　Whenever I think about my grandmother’s life, I can never separate it in my mind from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. As a third-generation A-bomb survivor, I have always hoped to someday create a work that brings me face-to-face with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to do so. The atomic bombing is a topic that I hope to continue to explore, but for now I believe this current form is the best way for me to present it.

　I began these works by meeting with hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) and hearing their stories. Although it was unusual for me to create works based on research, I also wanted to search for a more universal expression. Hibakusha are already elderly, and I feel a strong sense of crisis that there are fewer and fewer opportunities for them to directly convey their experiences to younger generations. On the other hand, I also believe that art has the power to convey their experiences and wishes in another form beside their spoken words.

　Although 2023 marks 78 years since the end of World War II, wars still exist in the world. I hope these works will encourage people to reflect again on humans’ sorrow and suffering, as well as strengthen their desire for peace.

Tomiyasu Yuma