Photographers illuminate Tohoku from variety of viewpoints

Islamabad :An exhibition of eye-catching photographs depicting the people and the natural and cultural environment of Japan’s Tohoku region, which suffered immense damage due to the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, opened at the National Art Gallery (NAG) here on Wednesday.

Organized by the Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan and NAG, the exhibition is titled ‘Tohoku-Through the Eyes of Japanese Photographers,’ and offers a collection of 123 photographs by nine individual photographers and one photographers’ group. All the photographs are curated by Kotaro Iizawa, a leading expert of photography critics in Japan.

The purpose of the exhibition is not to document the damage, destruction or restoration of Tohoku region caused by the 2011 earthquake; rather it aims to depict and enhance the understanding of culture, climate, and life in Tohoku to the people of the world.

Inaugurating the show, Japanese Ambassador Takashi Kurai said, “This exhibition aims to depict how the Tohoku region developed prior to the earthquake and how culture and heritage had been handed down, protected and nourished in Tohoku despite of the natural disasters and hardships it has suffered.” Tohoku is a region located in the north-eastern part of Japan’s Honshu island, including Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. This region suffered great damage in the 2011 earthquake though many areas have made great progress in reconstruction.

Ambassador Kurai appreciated the curator and participating photographers for their work. And hoped that the relatively unknown region of Tohoku will be rendered more familiar by their brilliant artistic expression, illuminating Tohoku from a variety of viewpoints.

“This year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan and the Embassy of Japan has always strived to share Japanese culture with Pakistani people, in the hope to bring the two nations and their people closer and strengthen our friendship,” said Ambassador Kurai.

As many as 27 pictures of Pakistan titled ‘Click Pakistan’ and captured by Japanese amateur photographer Ono Kaori, and 22 photographs of Japan titled ‘Click Japan,’ taken by 12 amateur Pakistani photographers, are also part of the exhibition, which will remain open for public viewing till December 6, 2017.