shashasha

“A New River”, published on occasion of the group exhibition “Twilight Daylight Contemporary Japanese Photography vol.17” held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (July 28 – September 22, 2020).

“A New River” focuses on blooming cherry blossoms, a symbol of life and impermance. Following her award-winning photobook “Kipuka”, Iwane’s new book forms a touching, perplexing work on grief and moving on.
After taking pictures of cherry blossoms in the evacuation zone in Fukushima during an extended stay, Iwane travelled north to Iwate Prefecture, finding cherry blossom trees that were no longer lit by artificial lights at night, as places where the line between man and beast was blurred, where the trees were full with growls of joy from the beasts who had returned into the darkness.

“Even after the lights go out, I continue walking beneath the pale blossoms, recalling his words as he described his hometown.
‘An Oni crawls on all fours, in a grove of cherry trees after everyone has gone.’
Unforeseen events produced borders that he cannot cross, and he is unable to return.”
— excerpt from the narration in “A New River”