Art projects for 311 disaster recovery

"Family Portrait-10th Spring” Exhibition

An exhibition of recovery support art projects by Ukishima Scultpure Studio and Special Guest "PHOTOHOKU”  to mark the 10th anniversary of the 11th March 2011 Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

■ Date: From Thursday, March 11, 2021 to Sunday, March 28, 2021

■ Opening hours: 11: 00-16: 00 Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays 

■ Venue: Kyu-Ishii Kenreitei

■ Address: 7-51 Shimizu-cho, Morioka, Iwate 

■ Opening event: From 5 pm on March 11 (Friday)

Highligting the importance of family and community, and living in harmony with our environment, this exhibition shows how artists from across Tohoku, Japan and the world responded to offer tangible messages of support and encouragement to the people of Tohoku.

1. Art installation of new work reflecting on the impact of 3:11 by Ukishima Sculpture Studio Hironori Katagiri (drawing + sculpture), Kate Thomson (sculpture + drawing), Emily Katagiri (illustration)
2. Two of the three "POSTCARD PROJECT"exhibitions initiated and run by Ukishima Sculpture Studio:

“Postcards from Japan - A Message from Tohoku artists”
Intimate A5 original art works by 22 artists from Tohoku expressing their first responses to the triple disaster.  First shown in Edinburgh in 2011, it toured to New York; London; Birmingham; Cologne, Budapest, Tokyo; Stirling; and Aberdeen, and has now returned home to Tohoku.

"Postcards To Japan"; One installation made up of over 400 wonderful A5 size art messages of support sent by artists, school pupils and members of the public from all over the world who were inspired by the grace and resilience of the people of Tohoku; has been touring community venues in the disaster hit area, including Museums, community centres, shopping malls, and Post Offices.

3.Special guest: "PHOTOHOKU" - initiated and led by Brian Scott Peterson and Yuko Yoshikawa.  People lost so much in the tsunami including their photo albums of family memories.  PHOTOHOKU is a joyful project to help rebuild family histories and hopes for the future by taking new family portraits with an instant camera and gifting family photo albums on the spot.  The effect of the first excursion six months after the disaster on 11th September 2011 was so uplifting more national and international photographers volunteered to keep the project going with monthly visits to devastated communities, and have gifted over 20,000 photos to more than 150 families.  A picture really is worth a thousand words.

Exhibiton page: Family Portrait 10th Spring exhibition