By Yumi Iwasaki | Project Leader
Greetings from the Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels. We hope this finds you well and in good health!
We are delighted to present the first two parts of our virtual tour project today, just in time for Hiroshima Memorial Day. Please see below for details.
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1. Special Program - Hiroshima Memorial Day 2021
"Out of Hiroshima, Into the Future – Life and Art in the Nuclear Age" (approx. 90 mins)
This program will be available from 2:00PM on Friday, August 6 (JST) on Maruki Gallery’s YouTube Channel.
Navigator: Sumiko Hatakeyama (Peace Boat / University of Pennsylvania)
Casts: John Junkerman (Film director), Yukinori Okamura (Curator, Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panel)
SUMMARY
This program traces the Marukis’ journey from their experience in Hiroshima. They started to paint “The Hiroshima Panels” after the bombing, and continued their journey through the exhibition tours in Japan and around the world.
The program will focus on the works of the Marukis and their works. We will examine the message they wanted to convey, the post-Hiroshima world surrounding nuclear weapons, and our future.
CHAPTERS
1) Introduction
2) Background
A brief overview of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Hiroshima Panels, the Marukis, and the Maruki Gallery to help people with no prior knowledge to understand the dialogue.
3) August 6: What Happened on that Day (Yukinori Okamura and Sumiko Hatakeyama)
We will take a look at the first half of the Hiroshima Panels, and think about what happened immediately after the bombing (“Ghosts”), the loss of young lives (“Boys and Girls”), and the exposure to the radiation in the city (“Relief”).
4) The Marukis’ Journey from Hiroshima (John Junkerman and Sumiko Hatakeyama)
We will take a look at the second half of the Hiroshima Panels. We will first learn how Mr. Junkerman came to know the Marukis, and discuss the Maruki’s journey after WWII, including the first U.S. exhibition. We will cover works such as “Yaizu” (nuclear testing), “The Death of American Prisoners of War” and “Crows” (perpetration).
5) Passing On the Marukis’ Message in a Changing World (Panel Discussion)
We explore the reception of Hiroshima Panels in different times and places, especially how the response to the exhibition in the U.S. has changed. We will also consider the significance of the Maruki’s depiction of structural violence other than the atomic bomb, as well as the role of the Hiroshima Panels in the world today.
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2. Maruki Gallery Online Tour - What are the Hiroshima Panels? (Approx. 50 mins)
Navigator: Yukinori Okamura (Curator, Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels)
May 5th, 2021 marked the 54th anniversary of the opeing of the Maruki Gallery. We held an online tour of the gallery as a live streaming event. It was carried out in Japanese, but finally English subtitles are available! This program is a tour of the gallery led by the curator, who will give you an overview and introduce you to the Hiroshima Panels. You can see the subtitles through YouTube subtitles function. To join the tour, click HERE.
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Finally, we would like to share that we have launched the Donor Wall Project, which is part of the Preservation Fund for the Hiroshima Panels. The names of donors who have donated the equivalent of 100,000 yen or more will be stamped inside the dove. Of course, this applies to donations through GlobalGiving. It would be great if you could spread the word!
We hope you enjoy these programs! We would be happy if you could use them as an opportunity to think about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and all the people who have been affected by the nuclear weapons.
We will keep you posted on the last part of this virtual tour program!
Kind regards,
Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels.
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