Kazuma Obara | Silent Histories

Kazuma Obara

Kazuma Obara

Kazuma Obara

Kazuma Obara

In 2014, Japanese photographer Kazuma Obara created a series of powerfully moving images focusing on the victims of the Second World War in Japan.

The photographs are being exhibited for the first time at Photofusion, following Obara’s highly successful limited edition handmade book: Silent Histories which was shortlisted for Paris Photo/Aperture Photo Book Award and was selected for TIME, Lens Culture, and Telegraph Best Photobook 2014.

The bombing by US forces during the Second World War resulted in 330,000 Japanese citizens being killed, 430,000 others injured, some 9.7 million left homeless and more than 2 million homes destroyed. Children wounded in the war were an uncomfortable reminder of the devastation and many have lived their lives in secrecy and concealment, silently struggling with their injuries and disabilities as adults.

This exhibition includes a series of sensitive portraits that focus on six survivors, interspersed with historical and personal material, including school photographs, views of Japanese cities in 1945, personal snapshots and government-issued disability cards.

“…ultimately the book [Silent Histories] is about making visible the scars and pain of war, of recognising the suffering that civilians go through everywhere, and ending all wars. It’s a dream, but it’s a good one, delivered in outstanding powerful fashion.” Colin Pantall, book review, Emaho Magazine

Kazuma Obara (Japan, 1985) is a photojournalist based in the UK and Japan. After finishing his degree in Sociology at Utsunomiya University in Japan, he studied Photojournalism at Days Japan Photo Journalism School while working in the financial industry. After the tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011, he resigned from his job to begin documenting the disaster area. His photograph series from inside Fukushima Daiichi Nucelar Power Plant was widely reported as the first photojournalist to convey the story from inside the Fukushima Daiichi. His work in the disaster areas was published as a photobook entitled “Reset Beyond Fukushima” (Lars Muller Publishers/Switzerland) in March 2012.

In 2015, he began an MA in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography at London College of Communication. A partner photographer of Swiss photo agency Keystone, his photographs appear regularly in The Guardian, Courier international, ZEIT, El Mund, BBC, CNN, NHK, and DAYS JAPAN. In November 2015, Editorial RM (Mexico/Spain) published a trade edition of his original handmade book “Silent Histories”.

In February 2016, Obara was awarded First Prize in the 'People' Category at the World Press Photo Awards.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of events exploring the realm of book publishing. Further details coming soon.