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Photo Credit:1976 and 2005 Kamakura, Japan - Double self portrait
Japanese Events in London: 6th - 12th April 2009
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, are showing a very interesting exhibition by UK-based Japanese Visual Artist, Chino Otsuka. Her show, called, "Imagine Finding Me" series is in London for the first time.
Chino was born in Japan and came to Britain at the age of 10. The majority of her photographic research is based on this unique autobiographical experience. In many of her projects, Chino uses the form of self-portrait to explore themes of memory, belonging, and identity.
According to the British Library, "For Chino, memory is a form of storytelling and this narrative element is very important throughout her work. Chino is preoccupied with the idea of home, displacement, memory and loss. What makes a place a home and where does a sense of belonging come from? For Chino, tracing back and recreating the past is a way to deal with such issues and many of her self-portraits are situated at places where she once belonged."
We visited the exhibiton and loved it. The "Imagine Finding Me" is a series of unique double self portraits which are created around a collection of childhood photographs taken from Chino's family album. In these digitally manipulated and composite images, Chino's present and past selves are snapped together in various locations and situations. As Chino describes, “the digital process becomes a tool, almost like a time machine as I'm embarking on the journey to where I once belonged and at the same time becoming a tourist in my own history”. In this, her first UK publication, her autobiographical texts and photographs are combined for the first time.
To visit the exhibition go to the Daiwa Foundation Japan House, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 4QP, late night openings (until 8.00pm): 28 April & 21 May 2009.
