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Portraits of A-bomb survivors to be exhibited in U.K. from August

by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer

Portraits of A-bomb survivors (hibakusha) painted by professors and students in the Graduate School of Art at Hiroshima City University will be exhibited at the University of London art gallery from August 5. Since Hiroshima is marking the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing this August 6, the number of portraits to be displayed, as well as the number of days of display, is set at 65. During the run of the exhibition, A-bomb survivors will share their experiences of the bombing at the gallery. In addition, a memorial ceremony will take place on August 6 at 12:15 a.m., U.K. time, which corresponds to 8:15 a.m. in Japan, the time the atomic bomb was dropped 65 years ago.

The exhibition is titled "THE LIGHT: Portraits of the Hibakusha." The Graduate School of Art initiated the project in 2004 with the aim of engaging in the history of the atomic bombing. A total of 51 professors and students completed 100 portraits of survivors. Professor Paul Stafford of Kingston University in the U.K., who saw the portraits at Hiroshima City University in 2005, served as facilitator and the first exhibition overseas was organized.

Makoto Nagasaka, a 2nd-year graduate student, is from Kagawa Prefecture and his experience of painting a portrait marked the first time he had sat face to face with an A-bomb survivor. Mr. Nagasaka expressed his enthusiasm for the exhibition in the U.K., a nuclear weapons state, saying, "I was more impressed by the survivor's eyes, showing the strong will that it took to survive the post-war period, than even the horrific nature of the bombing. I hope people who see the portraits will be able to grasp the fact that the survivors struggled so hard to go on, despite their sorrows."

In October, Kazumi Mizumoto, professor of the Hiroshima Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University, and two others, will discuss the significance of the portraits and other topics at the University of London gallery.

(Originally published on June 2, 2010)

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