ARTIST TALK WITH AYA FUJIOKA

November 11, 2023, 2-3pm

Please join us for an Artist Talk with photographer Aya Fujioka on Saturday, November 11th, 2-3pm. She will be in conversation with art historian Emiko Inoue. They will discuss Fujioka's award-winning series Here Goes River, on view at SEIZAN Gallery New York as part of the group exhibition, Things She Carries.

Here Goes River is a tranquil, private documentation of Fujioka's hometown, Hiroshima. Nearly 160 photos show scenes from everyday life around the delta area of Hiroshima, the site of the atomic bomb devastation 70 years ago. Mundane scenes against a backdrop of historic disaster are captured: people gathering in front of a TV showing news of President Obama’s visits to the city; high school students practicing a dance choreography with the iconic Atomic Bomb Dome in the background.

For the Artist Talk, Fujioka will discuss how the series started as a personal chronicle, and her struggles to document the city so heavily burdened with history. Soft drinks and refreshments will be served.

Aya Fujioka (b. 1972 ) was born in Hiroshima and studied photography at Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo. With a scholarship from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan, she stayed in New York from 2007 through 2012 and created the series Life Studies. After returning to her hometown Hiroshima, she completed Here Goes River, which won her numerous awards including the Kimura Ihei Photography Award and the Hayashi Tadahiko Award. Fujioka’s works have been exhibited at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, The National Art Center in Tokyo, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum, Higashi-Hiroshima City Museum of Art, and Spiral Gallery in Tokyo among many others. Fujioka currently lives and works in Higashi Hiroshima City in Japan.