Save the Hiroshima Panels - Preservation Fund

Dear friends of the Maruki Gallery,

Greetings from the Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels. We hope this finds you well and in good health!

Today, we would like to share the special online programs for Hiroshima Memorial Day.

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[Special Program]
Out of Hiroshima, Into the Future – Life and Art in the Nuclear Age (approx. 90 mins)

Available from 2:00PM on Friday, August 6 (Japan Standard Time) 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 Panels)

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 through their works. We will examine the message they wanted to convey, the post-Hiroshima world surrounding nuclear weapons, and our future. The program will be presented in fully bilingual (English and Japanese).

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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[Video Archive] Maruki Gallery Online Tour – What are the Hiroshima Panels? (Approx. 50 mins)

Navigator: Yukinori Okamura (Curator, Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels) 

English subtitles are now available!!!

May 5th, 2021 marked the 54th anniversary of the opening of the Maruki Gallery. Due to the pandemic, we did not host an anniversary event at the gallery this year. Instead, we held a tour of the gallery as a live streaming event. English subtitles are added just in time for Hiroshima Memorial Day! Please click here to watch it. We hope this tour will offer similar experiences to visiting the Gallery to anyone around the world.

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[Virtual Floating Lantern Ceremony] “Message for Peace, Floating Lanterns”

This is a collaborative project with TSUGUTEN – Hiroshima – 3rd Generation Exhibition: Succeeding to History. We invite you to float a message of peace through Message for Peace – Floating Lanterns Website.  On August 6, this virtual space will also be projected on the screen at the Maruki Gallery.

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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. Please help us spread the word about the Preservation Fund!

As always, we thank you for your support and encouragement!

Kind regards,

Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels

Links:

• Maruki Gallery Website - Event Details
• Maruki Gallery's YouTube Channel