[POSTPONED] Hajime Kimura exhibition “The bluebird perch” June 13-28
We are sorry to announce the postponement of the exhibition of Hajime Kimura, “The Bluebird Perch”, which was scheduled to be held from June 13 to June 28.
In light of concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus and the decision to extend the state of emergency, we have decided to review the timing of the exhibition.
A new date is currently being rescheduled. We will let you know as soon as it’s fixed.
We will keep you posted on the progress of the artist and his projects.
Please stay tuned.
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This project starts from the point of view of a war-wounded tree burnt on 10th March 1945, which also represents memories of a war survivor. Kimura aims to visualize the tree’s life in the once destroyed area in east Tokyo.
Years or even decades after the 2nd World War, we see the war-wounded trees revive by the shoot sprouting from their trunks. This project may represent the reasons why a tree could survive. Over the years, it has been proven the trees are useful for fire protection. Recently the role of a tree in city sights has been reconsidered. Kimura hopes this project, “The bluebird perch” triggers to think about a relationship between a tree and us, a tree and our memory.
In addition, Kimura plans to produce the photobook for this project during the exhibition and will update posts for further information on Facebook etc. Please stay tuned.
©︎Hajime Kimura / The blue bird perch
“On a night when the sky was laden with stars, a flock of huge birds came from the east. They were circling in the searchlight, shining in bright blue light. The next moment, the birds found some withered branches, they flew towards us with its sound of thunderous roar”
12:08 pm on 10th March 1945, the first fire bomb exploded in the Koto area in Tokyo. “The black airframe with huge wings were flying low close to the ground illuminated by the red burning flames,” One of the survivors described. The airstrike took only two and a half hours to kill 100,000 people.
Documents from the Japan Meteorological Agency tell the temperature on that day was 3.9 degrees Celsius, and wind speed was 13 meters per second from North West. Under the starry sky, the cloud amount was 4.
Through the long and winding time-tunnel, 75 years have passed after the Second World War. Memories of survivors are about to fade away into the depth of time and the transition of an era, recently, called “Reiwa”.
” A ginkgo tree stood burning in the red flame, and all I could do was to stay watching it as it kept burning. After dawn, I realized I was still alive”
It was in 2019 when I first recognized the ‘War-wounded trees’, A TV news program reported “Still the war-wounded trees remain in the Koto, Sumida and Taito area. The places were once the most destroyed areas under the Tokyo Air Attack on 10th March”.
When I touched the trunk of a gingko tree at a shrine in Sumida area, my figures felt the chill texture. The bombed surface was imbricated by the shiny black burnt wood. When I traced my fingers on the black surface, fragments of the bark easily dropped off.
It looked like a scab/piece of memory still drifting in the past time of history. I looked up and saw the green leaves reaching out from the bombed trunk. The summer sunlight shined on me through the waving leaves and branches.
“A city of the past, a city of memory and another city above. We travel through each layer of time through these trees in each city. The bluebirds may have disappeared, but, once you realize the presence of the tree, you also may see the appearance of the bluebirds”
Hajime Kimura
(English proof: Moto Yoshikuni)
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Hajime Kimura solo exhibition “The bluebird perch”
Exhibition Runtime: 13th June (Sat) – 28th June (Sun) 2020
1pm-7pm (open all day / free admission)
Opening reception and Artist talk event : 13th June (Sat) 7pm
Gallery:
Reminders Photography Stronghold
2-38-5, Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
https://reminders-project.org/rps/map/
©︎Hajime Kimura / The blue bird perch
©︎Hajime Kimura / The blue bird perch
©︎Hajime Kimura / The blue bird perch
©︎Hajime Kimura / The blue bird perch
Profile | Hajime Kimura
Born in 1982 in Chiba, Japan.
Since 2006, he has started his career as a freelance. Also, he has contributed to TIME, The New York Times, Le Monde, Esquire and COURRiER International. He had lived in Germany from 2016 to 2018 by the grant of the Agency for Japan Cultural Affairs of Tokyo and POLA Art Foundation. In October 2019, he published “Snowflakes Dog Man” from CEIBA edition in Siena, Italy, and plan to publish the latest photo book “MIŠO BUKUMIROVIĆ” as handmade edition from Reminders Photography Stronghold in March 2020.