Emmanuelle Riva "Hiroshima 1958"

Ginza Nikon Salon (Nikon Plaza)

Finished

Artists

Emmanuelle Riva

Alain Resnais' feature length film "Hiroshima Mon Amour" is a representative masterpiece of postwar cinema, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of its creation. Set in Hiroshima after WWII, this work portrays an indelible encounter with a foreign culture and memories of the war, which together with the work by Marguerite Duras on which it is based, came to become a much-loved cinematic classic all over the world.

French actress Emmanuelle Riva starred in the film along with Eiji Okada, and photographs that she took of Hiroshima during her stay were discovered last year. These photos mostly depict children of the time (1958), and represent a valuable photographic document of the city and its landscapes that were used as locations for filming. They were taken in early September 1958 in 6x6 monochrome format. In terms of both technique and choice of subject, they betray little amateurism, and in fact demonstrate a superior sensitivity to framing and composition. Riva has since carefully kept both these photos and the camera she used to take them, and on the occasion of their 50th anniversary, wished that they be seen and put on display in Japan.

In addition, to coincide with this exhibition a photo collection "Hiroshima 1958" is being released by Inscript. Riva herself is also due to visit Japan on the occasion of this exhibition.

Photo seminar: December 10th (Wed) 15:00-16:00

Schedule

Dec 10 (Wed) 2008-Dec 30 (Tue) 2008