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Shomei Tomatsu

The photographs of Shomei Tomatsu: on display in Barcelona for the first time

The images of a photographer who left his mark on contemporary Japan can be seen until September.

One of the cultural venues that, little by little, is carving out a niche for itself on the Barcelona art scene is Sala Fundació MAPFRE Casa Garriga Nogués. It first opened its doors in 2015 and, since then has brought to the city exhibitions featuring renowned international artists like Rodin, Renoir, Matisse and Michals, among others. Now it’s the turn of Shomei Tomatsu, one of the most influential photographers in contemporary Japan. Tomatsu was born in Nagoya in 1930 and died in Naha in 2012 and stands out for his photographic work in the field of social reportage, thanks to his critical vision of the values ​​of Japanese society when face by American influence. Thanks to him you can see the evolution of the society of his country over more than six decades. His images have appeared in the most important museums in the world, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Tokyo Metropolitan Photography Museum and can now be seen in Barcelona in an exhibition at the MAPFRE Foundation which is held with the collaboration of the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum and features works from a number of art galleries around the world.

The exhibition, which will take place from 5 June to 16 September, contains 180 works by Tomatsu organized into eleven thematic sections, which together provide an insight into his entire career. The images, which show the cruelty of war, the presence of military bases and the strong American influence on Japanese society, share his particular vision. In his work, Tomatsu also addresses issues like nature, urbanization, citizen protests and traditions.

General admission costs €3, though there are numerous discounts. Additional information and ticket sales are available at the following link.

Publication date: Monday, 04 June 2018
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