平野淳子

Junko Hirano

In Hiroshima, 160 trees that survived the atomic bombing stand as witnesses. These A-bomb trees grow leaning toward the hypocenter because the side facing it was damaged, while the opposite side continues to grow. Furthermore, when viewed through a lens, figures emerge from the trees: men, children, animals, even the Thousand-Armed Kannon and the Guardian Deity of the North. As the atomic bomb survivors age, I hope people will feel the tragedy that must be passed on through the form of these trees and their energy.
“Genius Loci: A-bombed Trees” is created by moving between traditional Japanese techniques and digital methods. Images that evoke the land's history, the present, and the distant future are printed on extremely thin Japanese paper and layered like backing. This process overlays not only the layered history of events but also the history of techniques themselves.